Compatriot News
Dance training for 12 members of Mugunghwa Dance Co. and 10 members of Bidulgi Dance Co. at Koryo Youth School Koryo people from Russian and Kazakh dance companies who recently visited Korea to learn Korean dance remarked in unison: “We live thinking that we are Koreans. We are proud to be of Korean heritage.” The dancers who visited Korea are 12 members of the Mugunghwa Dance Troupe (Director Choi Irina) from Koryo Youth School, a Korean language school registered at the Rostov-on-Don Korean Education Center in Russia, and 10 members of the Bidulgi Dance Troupe (Director Kim Rim-ma), an art troupe under the Almaty Koryo National Center in Kazakhstan. Most of the troupe members are Koryo people. The Mugunghwa Dance Troupe and the Bidulgi Dance Troupe entered Korea on March 26 and March 30, respectively, and stayed in Seoul, visiting Gyeongbok Palace, Myeongdong and the National Museum of Korea to experience Korean culture. Those selected for the 2024 Overseas Compatriots and Korean Traditional Music Group Invitation Training Project received Korean dance training at the National Namdo Korean Traditional Music Center in Jindo, South Jeolla Province, from April 2 to 11. The Mugunghwa Dance Co. learned Beokkuchum, Gayageum and Taepyeongso, while the Bidulgi Dance Co. learned Udo Seolsogo Dance. Director Irina Choi (48) met with the media in Seoul on April 1 and said, “I have learned Samulnori, Sogo dance, Nanta and Jindo drum dance in Korea every year since 2022, and the members’ satisfaction was so high that I decided to come again this year. When we perform back in our locales, we receive great response from Koryo people and others.” The Mugunghwa Dance Co. was founded in Rostov-on-Don, a city in southern Russia, in February 2019 and currently has about 60 members. While practicing three times a week, they go on stage to perform various performances for Koryo people and locals, performing Korean and traditional dances. The Bidulgi Dance Co. was founded in 1989 by Kim Rim-ma (78), a second-generation Korean. About 50 Koreans, Kazakhs and Russians aged 7 to 17 serve as members. Although they mainly perform modern dance, they also often display traditional Korean dances.