"Good is Soon Performance Art, Will Present a Stage Comforting Others' Lives"

Drama 'Gwang - The Gaze of Boundaries' Interview with Sorikkun Choo Da-hye
A Stage Reflecting on Oneself Living on the Boundary Between Shaman and Human
A Confession on the Boundary Through a Musical Language Only She Can Unravel

Soriggun Chu Dahye is being interviewed on the 26th at Doosan Art Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] “People who watched Eulhwa’s gut ceremony were deeply impressed. Her gut had an indescribable power that drew everyone’s hearts.”

In Kim Dong-ri’s novel Eulhwa, the villagers are amazed by Eulhwa’s gut, feeling a powerful force that attracts their hearts but cannot be expressed in words. Choo Dahye, a singer specializing in Seodo folk songs, also felt a sense of familiarity beyond fear when she happened upon a gut ceremony, and soon poured her captivated heart into her work. She says that although gut is a shamanistic ritual often dismissed as superstition, and shamans are intermediaries between gods and humans, she felt a kinship with them as artists leading a performance. Just as shamans cleanse the souls of the deceased to resolve grudges and pray for their rebirth in paradise, her wish to comfort the audience’s hearts through acting, singing, and sound on stage is fully embodied in this performance Gwang ? The Gaze of Boundaries.

(Performance photo) Gwang - Boundary of Vision_DAC Artist_Choo Dahye New Work_Photo by Doosan Art Center.

It was not even in Korea. After accidentally witnessing a simplified gut ceremony performed by shaman Lee Chanyeop in unfamiliar France, she said she became fascinated by gut and shamanic songs. “The gut I saw was called Jinjeok Gut, a joyful ritual held a few times a year where the shaman offers thanks to the guardian spirits and deities they serve. I felt that the gestures and sounds of the shaman bustling on stage were no different from those of any other artist.” After this intense first encounter, she became a ‘devotee’ who traveled across the country to appreciate new gut ceremonies and shamanic songs.

Soriggun Choo Da-hye is being interviewed on the 26th at Doosan Art Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

In Jeju Island, there is a custom of performing a shamanic ritual called ‘Gwiyangpuri’ on the night of the funeral. Introduced by a teacher, Choo Dahye visited a funeral home in Jeju to witness Gwiyangpuri and observed various human characters surrounding the gut ceremony performed for the soul’s passage, witnessing blind faith and disbelief, consolation and emotion. “It was Gwiyangpuri held after my grandfather passed away, at my grandmother’s request. The children watched indifferently, wondering why this was done, but when the father spoke through the shaman’s body, telling stories he hadn’t shared with his children, they suddenly embraced and began to cry. That moment came to me with great spirituality, and I discovered an artistic aspect in the shaman.” Whether the spirit actually came was not important to her. Watching the shaman communicate with the audience, console, release, and purify, she confessed that she found in the shaman’s authentic presence?one that moves people in our lives?the essential point that artists should pursue.

Pansori singer Chu Da-hye is being interviewed on the 26th at Doosan Art Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Boundaries were the walls Choo Dahye struggled with most and now freely crosses. When he, who had studied traditional Korean music for a long time, said he would challenge other music genres, his colleagues and mentors looked at him with concern and worry. “The exclusivity and categorization that say ‘You don’t belong here’ when you step outside the defined areas suffocated and troubled me. Rather than confining myself to one area, I wanted to transcend freely, going out and coming in whenever I wanted. I think that’s how I freely pursued singing, bands, and acting.”

The word ‘Gwang’ in the title of this performance carries various meanings: broad (廣), light (光), madness (狂), grave (壙), correction (匡), and the sound of resonance. Choo Dahye reflects on himself living on the boundary between shamans and humans, the subject he focuses on, and unfolds his confession about that boundary on stage through a musical language only he can express. “This performance tells the story I wanted to share with the audience through various musical genres including shamanic songs, folk songs, modern rock, punk, jazz, and meditation music. I am curious and excited to see how the audience will receive this familiar yet unfamiliar experience.”

Sorikkun Choo Da-hye is being interviewed on the 26th at Doosan Art Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Having given up stable affiliation to take on new challenges, he established a one-person planning company called ‘Sosuminjok Company’ and ventured into performance planning and album production. Now in its third year, when asked if it has been profitable, he said, “It was in the red... (after deducting labor costs) it’s still in the red. (laughs)” but added, “I started the company because I wanted to study the entire process of planning, producing, and directing a performance firsthand. After experiencing the whole process myself, my perspective and depth in viewing works deepened, and I could see performances from a broader viewpoint.” The first album produced by the company, Choo Dahye Charges Volume 1, won the ‘Best R&B & Soul Song’ category at the 18th Korean Popular Music Awards in 2021, gaining recognition from both the public and critics.

In an era where people hope to follow navigation, Choo Dahye’s journey of charting a path he pioneers himself is expected to continue. “I also want to take the easy path. But although this work is very painful and difficult, on the other hand, it makes me truly happy. Like fate, I feel that through new challenges I am resolving my tangled emotions and growing as an artist.” He expressed his aspiration to continue presenting performances that offer comfort to those who live as boundary people like shamans and himself, enduring alienation and hardship.