On Sunday November 27, Korean-American performers had a chance to make history as they participated in the Hollywood Christmas Parade. The performers ranged in age from second grade to eighteen years old from almost one hundred different schools, representing a varied spectrum of students from the Korean-American community.
Originally started in 1928, the parade has grown to include many performing groups. This year, the PAVA Samulnori Team, led by teachers Kang Dae-Sung, Ji Mi-Ok, and Kim Min-Jung, took part as a marching group to become the Korean-American community’s first appearance in this parade.
The group practiced for several hours on end for several weeks in preparation for this event. This group was not only a percussion group, as Korean dancers led the front of the line. The parade took place at 6:00 PM, and went along Hollywood Boulevard, Vine Street, and Sunset Boulevard.
Alice Kim, a sophomore at New Covenant Academy, was one of the drummers who played the janggoo, an hourglass-shaped drum. “For me,” she says, “this event was a rare chance for me to express my ethnicity. Although both of my parents were born in Korea, I am a US citizen born here in the States. The most significant thing about this event is that the majority of the people who took part in the parade are second generation Korean-Americans. Not only did we get to represent Korea but we did so through Korea’s traditional music. I think that through this event, we were able to successfully let Korea be known.” Her words convey the feeling held by most of the people who took part in this parade.
Shin Kim, a sophomore at North Hollywood High School and a Korean bara, or cymbal, player, is one of those who share these feelings. “The most significant outcome about the Christmas Parade was spreading knowledge of Korean culture to America. During the parade, the Korean dancers wore beautiful Korean traditional dresses with elegant colors, which represented the beauty of Korean clothing. While many other parade teams played their western music with flutes, drums, and trumpets, our samulnori team played the Korean music using Korean instruments such as buk, janggoo, and jing. Even though we only played simple music with simple instruments, people at the parade could hear a truly pure Korean sound, a harmony of Korean soul and music. Overall, the parade was successful, for we not only impressed many people but also spread our proud Korean culture to them.”
The PAVA team will perform in the 2012 Hollywood Christmas Parade and the 2013 Rose Parade.
