A personal flamenco journey 4

                   2. Korean song fits Spanish steps

 

 

Once in Portland, as mentioned before, I had a rare, happy moment of 2 months or so, when even a day passed without my opening email box at the Central Library in the downtown. Then it was almost everything to me to write emails to Lau and to find out her reply in the box with my heart throbbing.

 

 

And in Seoul, South Korea, on the other hand. there was another moment, 30 years or so older than that, much happier and brighter. It was the spring semester of the university I attended. In the campus there was a straight road of 10 minutes walk from the gate to the main office building.Then the road with white populars on either side of it proud of their leaves glittering silver and white in the breeze of May often got much brighter by the song of Whispering Hope sung by me and another freshman, catching the eyes and minds of lots of passers-by.

 

 

Between the two dreamy moments is there a big distance of more than 30 years in time. In quality, the older one seems to me more pictorial and more dreamy ! But the one with images and sounds never appears alone before my mind's eyes. It has always come to me together hand in hand with the other one.

 

 

 

 

 

Portland, Aug. . 2001

 

 Hi Gohk!

 

 My friend Stephen Blair will be contacting you to arrange a time to interview you for a story in the Portland Tribune newspaper.  I passed along your email address to him, so you can expect to hear from him soon.  He will also arrange a time to take a photo of you and me together!

 

Abrazos!!

 

Lau

 

 

 

 

 

Portland, Aug., 2001

 

Hello Gohk!

 

Would you please tell me who is the original author of Morning Dew?

 

When was it written? Also, would you please give me a short biography

 

of yourself for the concert program? Just a bit about you,

 

how you came to Portland, books you have written, etc. 

 

Then I need you to come by the studio and sing Morning Dew for me again.

 

Here I have the Spanish version you can listen to while you are there!

 

Hope all is well.

 

 I am so nervous!

 

Abrazos! 

 

 Lau

 

 

 

 

 

Portland, Aug., 2001

 

Hi Lau,

 

At the very moment of the performance probably
something alcoholic should be indispensible to me.
 I will be there at your new studio on Thursday. at 7:30,

 

with a paper regarding what you want to know today.
Thinking of you dancing,

 

Gohk 

 

 

 

Portland, Aug., 2001

 

From: Bl

 

Hi Gohk, 
 I'm a writer at the Portland Tribune, and I'm planning to do a story on
"The night of Juerga," the Flamenco event on Saturday, September 15.

 

I recently spoke with my friend Lau Marrone,

 

and she told me that you two developed a Flamenco piece

 

that is based on a Korean song. I don't recall the exact details, but
I would very much like to hear more about this and write about it.
Are you available for an interview sometime between

 

Tuesday, August 28 and Thursday, August 6 ?

 

It might be nice to discuss your involvement in "The night of Juerga"
over coffee or tea.
Please contact me at your earliest convenience.

 

 Feel free to e-mail me, or
call me at 503-546-0000.

 

Thank you, 
Bl
Features Writer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Portland, Aug., 2001

 

Hi, Lau!
I got a massage from BL that he would like to
meet me on either tue. or thu.30 Aug ,as expected,
and replied back soon, saying on Thu.30 Aug preferable",

 

and added "being interviewed is a new thrilling challenge 

 

to me, an ex-editorial writer, whose job is interviewing,

 

not being interviewed. Unbelievable!

 

 

 

Before a thing unlikely except in a fiction or a drama,

 

Gohk

 

 

 

 

 

Portland, Aug., 2001

 

Hi Gohk,
Thank you very much for sending me background information

 

about the Flamenco story.

 

I look forward to meeting with you this week

 

to discuss this in person.
Is Thursday, August 30 still a good date for you?

 

Please let me know what time you'd like to meet.
I have a broken toe, so I'm not able to walk very far.

 

 Would you be able to meet me downtown ?

 

 I work very close to Pioneer Place.

Sincerely,
Bl

 

Features writer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Portland, Aug.,2001

 

Hi Gohk! 

 

I heard from Bl, too, that the meeting was wonderful! 

 

 So glad that you enjoyed it. 

 

Have a fun weekend and see you soon!

 

 

 

'P.S.'

 

We will have a rehearsal on Friday, September 14 in the afternoon

 

so that you can meet the singer and work with her on Morning Dew.   

 

 I will confirm! the time with you soon

 

Abrazos!

 

Lau

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Portland, Aug., 2001

 

Hi, Lau

 

In the morning today I got a sparkle of
inspiration and could barely hold the tail of the comet,

 

as below, before it disappeared
 

 

"Pioneer Square landscape"

In the Pioneer Square Cafe
by the street-side window
sits a man in his fifties
with a large paper cup filled up

 

a half with starburg coffee

 

and another half with time,
looking in his mind at those passing by,
one by one.

 

 

 

The first  goer is a shepherd in his teens
with his ears given to the stars at night,

 

twinkling and whispering up in the sky.

 

A dog and dozens of lambs.

 

 

 

The second goer is a good-for-nothing in his twenties
saying to his first date ,in a bold and sweet voice,
'Shall we kiss?'

 

 

 

The third one is a poet in his thirties
with an aesthetic spirit, 

 

mummering lines of an old Japanese poem-

 

'if man were never to fade away like the dews of Adashino,

 

but lingered on forever in the world,

 

how things would lose their power to move us!'

 

 

 

The man by the window looking at them

 

drinks a sip of coffee and

 

another sip of time.

 

 

 

And the man is greatly envious
of a Spanish goer in his forties
with a gift of cold elegance
entering the bull ring
facing his destiny aloof
to his death. 
   
abrazos
Gohk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Portland, Sept., 2001

 

 Hi, Bl.
 Yes.

 

It means the very Starbuck Cafe of the Pioneer Square.
I will be there at 2:00 pm ,Thrusday. Okay? 
Gohk

 

 

 

 

 

Portland, Sept., 2001

 

Hi, Gohk!

 

Good.

 

See you there.
Bl
Features Writer
 

 

 

 

 

 

Portland, Sept., 2001

 

Hi ,Gohk,

 

Please come to rehearsal on Friday at the studio at 2 p.m. 

 

 For Saturday, I need to know which seat you will sit in

 

so that an usher can come

 

and bring you backstage after the intermission. 

 

 I hope that you are doing well

 

 in the aftermath of such a tradgedy. 

 

 I am just shocked and stunned. 

 

 As you know, I was born and raised in New York City.

 

 

 

Un abrazo,

 

Lau

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Portland, Sept. 2001

Born of Southern Spain's Gypsy culture , flamenco dancing and music can pierce the stoniest of hearts. The sorrowful facial ｅxpression!!!!s, theatrical body movements and seductive guitar rhythms leave and indelible imprint on viewers.

 

 

 This saturday, Portlanders have a rare opportunity  to catch flamenco at its finest when  a program called 'The night of Juergao' hits the Dolores Winningstad Theatre. Lau Marrone , a local performer and flamenco instructor who has trained extensively in Spain, will be joined by Seattle- based musician Jose and Monica. Rommel Nieto, a Vanouver ,B. C. resident who has toured Europe as a bailaor- will make his debut. 

 

 

Joining the lineup of seasoned performers is Gok Ma  a writer from Korea. Currently living in a downtown studio , the 56- year-old plans to make a permanent move to Portland next year with his wife, who is still in Korea. Gohk Ma developed a taste for the art form during a visit to Portland 2 years ago. In his book ' The Magic Flute', he describes seeing a flamenco dancer at the 1999 Art in the Pearl festival . How tender is the wave of her waist moving! Fascinating!

 

 

Upon returning to Portland earlier this summer , Gohk Ma pursued his interest in flamenco by attending  a class at Morrone's studio in Portland.' I had a great desire to meet a flamenco dancer. This meeting unexpectedly blossomed into a creative partnership between Gohk Ma and Marrone.

 

 

  During his visits to Lau's studio, Gohk drew a parallel between the sorrow of flamenco music and dance and the sad tone of "Morning Dew", a protest song about the former military dictatorship in South Korea . He sang the song for Lau and suggested that it be translated into Spanish and performed during "The night of Juerga".

 

 

Though Lau couldn't understand a word of Korean, she was moved to tears. Convinced that " Morning Dew" was a good candidate for the flamenco treatment, Lau asked Monica Carmona to translate the piece into Spanish.

 

 

The  results of this cross-cultural effort will premiere during "The night of Juerga". At the Gohk's rendition of the song , performed in Korean, will be followed by a Spanish version with singing by Monica and guitar playing by Jose .

 

 ...............

 

 

 

Bl,

 

reporter,

 

Portland tribune