A personal flamenco journey 12

              2. Writer's 3rd trip to Portland

 

 

 

Portland let me, at my first visit to it in 1999, have an encounter with flamenco which was unfamiliar to me. At my second stay of 2001 in Portland with intent to approach it, I happened to get a fortune to meet Lau, a bailaora, with whom I have exchanged emails for 8 years or more. And in 2007 I made my third flight to this city to invite Lau and her flamenco group to the Kift festival of 2008 in Korea, particularly wishing Back to Heaven, a well-known Korean poem, to be danced in Sloea by her. Lau danced Morning Dews twice in flamenco before, so she was thought to be the very bailaora to dance in flamenco the tragic lyricism of the poem. And returning home To Seoul I am arranged to drop at Tokyo. There I will stay a few days to meet another bailaora from Granada with intent to ask her team to join the festival of the next year as a Spanish flamenco performers.

 

 

 

 

1) emails

 

Masan, south Korea, Aug. 2007

 

Dearest Lau!
On my visa issued, I would fly to Portland and Tokyo in September, of course, on the condition that you are okay with my visit then. Now I have 2 important assignments given by the Kift side. one of them is to have my impression on 2007 Kift written in English on their magazine until the end of this year mainly for the foreign readers interested in the Kift festival.

 

 

And the other, more significant to you, is that the next year flamenco performances are planned to be on the stage on the occasion of the Kift festival. We will have to share ideas for it between you and me. In this relation, I want to visit your studio in advance to see you dancing in solea 1 or 2 Korean poems which you are familiar with. one of them is ,as you know, Back to Heaven.  

 

A flamenco
Gohk

 

 

 

 

 

Masan, Sept. 2007

 

 Hi, Lau.

 

Below is in relation with my September trip the rough concept of the expected flamenco performances on the stage of 2008 Kift.

 

 

'below'

 

Three flamenco groups are to be separately on the stage 3 nights. one of them is expected to be from Spain. the other is supposed to be a flamenco-Salpury group in which you are to be dancing 2 Korean poems in flamenco accompanied by a guitarist, preferably Mark and Korean dancers in Korean traditional costume dancing Salpury and Sungmu, the Korean traditional dances

 

 

On my way back home after our meeting in Portland, I am going to have a short time of stay in Tokyo, in order to contact Spanish flamenco groups. As you know ,in Tokyo there are several Spanish groups. For your information, In Tokyo I am expected to meet Juana, Spainish bailaora, who is to visit Tokyo in October to have concert at the Flamenco Synjuku there. I love her dancing because I saw her team performing 2 times at a tableau in Granada. I hope to suggest to her that her team come to Korea next year in Summer

 

 

Which of the Spainish group will be invited, I dont know now. Probably expenditure will be an important factor for it. It would reasonably be much more economical for Kift to invite Spanish group in Tokyo than in Spain, because they don't have to pay fleight charges.

 

 

 

Of course this is now a rough concept only in my mind. Before flying to Portland, I will have a meeting to discuss with the Kift side on these. The staff in charge of perforamce said to me that that flamenco performance should be as one of two imortant new projects for the 2008 kift.

 

Any question?

 

 

 

love

 

Gohk---

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Masan, Sept. 2007

 

Hi, lau:
My flight to Portland was booked. I am to be in USA from October 7 to 13. I hope to stay in Portland 3 days of 8th, 9th, 10th of October to see you, if it is not unconvenient for you. The next year hopely will see flamenco danced as an important event for the Kift festival. For at my introduction of flamenco dance given there this summer the Kift staffs came to be sure that flamenco is to be a  potential attraction for Kift from 2008 on. In particular lots of audience there at the presentation was attracted by an invited Korean flamenco dancer.

 

love
Gohk 

 

 

 

 

 

Portland, Oct. 2007

 

Dear Gohk:

 

This is wonderful news! 

 

May I please have your information so
that I can meet you at the airport? 

 

Would you like to stay with us in our home?
I am so excited!!!

 

Abrazos,
Lau

 

 

 

Masan, Oct. 2007

 

Dearest Lau:

Really happy at your considerateness! But please don't come out at the airport.
It would be better to meet you free over coffee at Pioneer Square

 

around at noon on 8th of Oct. You know that I, as a tramp, would be more comfortable to stay in the hostel where nobody knows me .

 

 

 

And please never fail to pass To Mark my ardent hope to see and hear him accompanying you.

Love
Gohk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Portland, Oct. 2007

 

Dearest Gohk:

 

 I am very excited to see you early next week.  Also, we will be having you as a guest at the Flamenco studio on Wednesday evening so that you can watch a rehearsal and party. Please call me when you are safely in Portland.

 

 Love,

 

 Lau

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Masan, Oct. 2007

 

Hi, Lau

 

Just a day prior to departure!

 

The weather man said that it will be rainy and windy tomorrow here before the take off time . I am a little worried. How excited I would be at the flamenco party in your studio! Will call you at Oct.7th in the afternoon.

 

Thinking of you,

 

Gohk

 

 

 

 

 

 

Granada, Spain, June. 2007

 

Hello Gohk,

 

 I´m Juana. you came to see my flamenco group

 

in Granada last year and gave us your contact.

 

I am the dancer. We are still performing in Granada

 

at the Huerto del Loro, a flamenco cave if you remember.

 

 

 

We are also performing abroad , we had  a show

 

in Naples and we are going to Ireland in June.
We were wondering if you have any contacts
in the South Korea or in the States .

 

We would like to perform more abroad ,

 

so you have any ideas please contact us.

 

I hope all goes well with your projects.

 

I attach all our info.
                             
Yours Sincerely,
Juana

 

 

 

 

 

Masan, South Korea, Aug. 2007

 

Hello Juana:

This is Gohk, interested in you and your group as ever.

 

Mako, manager of Ol'e in Tokyo informed me that you are scheduled to have concert at El Flamenco there in October. I think it would be a very good chance for me to see you dancing again, this time in Tokyo much nearer to me.

As you know, I saw your performances twice in Granada and above all things, you speak not only Spanish but also English, which language would help us to share fully and clearly each other's head and mind.

Now as a request of the Kift Festival in South Korea, I have a plan to help them to add flamenco performances to their 2008 Festival held in July-August next year. Now I have a question - Shall I meet you and your members again at Tokyo in September? For your information, in relation with it I am scheduled to visit to Portland, USA. So if you are okay, on returning home I would like to drop in Tokyo at the time of your stay there.

 

 

 

Waiting for your reply,
Gohk

 

 

 

 

 

Granada, Aug., 2007

 

Dear Gohk

 

We are to be at Tokyo around the middle of October, when at any time it will be okay. Our performance will be available 3 nights in a week until at the end of the month. In El flamenco which has a smalll stage, we keep the same program of our performance you saw at Granada ?

 

 

 

For the further negotiation in detail It would be better for you to contact with our manager, who will email you soon.

 

 

 

Sincerely yours

 

Juana

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  2) Interview

 

 

 

 A couple of months after the Kift festival was over, I visited Portland in USA for the 3rd time. During my stay at Portland I happened to get an interview with Ina, a reporter of Oregonian Daily at Lau's studio in the downtown, with Laure also present there for me. 

 

 

 

This time the main purpose of my trip to the 2 cities was in relation with the Kift 2008 program in which they have a plan to invite flamenco artists for their next year festival. Lau is present now for me and the reporter was a friend of the flamenco dancer's ,so I could have a comfortable interview with the reporter as if I were enjoying a private talk with  friends. After the formal interview with photos taken was finished, we three continued to enjoy our free dialogues off the record.

 

 

 

The following is a part of the off-recorded free dialogue. The Ina with a yearning for the exotic Asian cultures was much more interested in the Susungdae landscape with the old Korean-styled pavilion than the theatre festival itself. 

 

 

 

 

 

In:  Hi, Gohk, Lau said You have been acquainted with this city?

 

 

 

Lau: This is the 3rd time for you to vist Portland, isn't it, Gohk?

 

 

 

Gh: right. Portland is still quiet and peaceful as it used to be 7 years before. from the airport through trimax railway to the downtown, the landscape in silence of  the wide green fields and  in comfort is the same. in the exception of one.

 

 

 

In: what's that ?

 

 

 

Gh: the sky. In late Autumn it was covered with thick clouds. The deep blue sky without a point of cloud was one of the most impressive here. In Korea people can enjoy such enchanting sky just a short time inf Autumn.

 

 

 

In; Laurena said you would come here this time with a particular purpose in relation with flamenco.

 

 

 

Gh: right in half. Well. It probably would  be right to say that the my purpose is in relation with flmenco and Laurena. More concretely, Half on business, the other half is kind of.... a desire to pass 'hello' to her.. 8 years or so before, I happened to see a male flamenco cantaor who was singings at the Pearl Festival of this city. It was my first encounter with flamenco. And It was the next year that I met Laurena in this same city. From then on flamenco and her have always been kept in my mind.

 

 

 

 La: Joon wants me to fly over to Korea on the occasion of the 2008 Kift Festival.

 

 

 

In: For flamenco performances?

 

 

 

Gh: Right. Flamenco performances are  to be added aa a new project to the main program for the 2008 kift fesital. Flamenco was suggested as a new subject for the festival at the seminar heldt the last summer .

 

 

 

In: Great! Is it a festival in Seoul?

 

 

 

Gh: No. at a small community area  called Keochang located far from seoul.  

 

 

 

In:  Such a big festival is held in  not a big city, but in just a kind of small county!  

 

 

 

La: oH, Ina, remember Abignon of France. The town is worldwidely known for the outdoor theatre festival.

 

 

 

Gh: Next year Keochang will open the curtain of the19th kift, Keochang international festival of theatre. They will be at the golden age.Now Kift is the most famous outdoor theatre festival in Korea.

 

 

 

La: As you know,Korean culture doesn't yet seem to be well known outside in the world. 2 years ago,on my first visit to Korean 2 years ago to have flamenco performance there in Joon's hometown, I was surprised to see Busan,a giant city  more modern and lively than Atlanta. Compared with it.  Portland looks so small a city. to me the Korean traditional dance of Salfuri was most impressive. so beautiful in particular was The Korean traditional costume.  

 

 

 

In: Really? Very interesting! ,would you tell me about Kift again more specific, Gohk? 

 

 

 

Gh: Oh. this public relations magazine  is of some help to you .Won't you have it?

 

 

 

In: one more Gohk. on your way back home, you visit Tokyo to meet another Bailora from Spain?

 

 

 

Gh; Yes. At El Flamenco In Tokyo. Juana and her members from Granada I hope to invite her team to the 2008 Kift festival.

 

 

 

In: You love her dance?

 

 

 

Gh: As a gypsy dancer, Juana tends to concentrate more on forceful rhythms than graceful movement. I think that as a gypsy dancer, she keeps well the essence of flamenco-ecstatic, abstract downward introvert.