South Korea attracts more than 11 million foreign tourists a year. Some are lured by traditional tourists attractions such as Gyeongbok Palace, Dongdaemun market and Namsan (South Mountain). Others hope to catch a glimpse of their favourite K pop star in one of Seoul's more fashionable districts, such as Gangnam.
But Korea also has a rich heritage of non-verbal performances, and there are many famous stage shows in Seoul such as the Jump Show, the Nanta Show and the Drum Cat Show. And by not relying on the spoken word, they are ideal for tourists who may not speak Korean.
One of these shows, Fanta-Stick: Letter of Introduction, blends traditional music and instruments with Western percussion and melodies. The performance seamlessly blends acrobatics and martial arts with break dancing, and is a visual and aural treat.
The theatre seating is raked very steeply, and is close to the stage, ensuring that almost everyone has a "front row" view. The stage is simply decorated without curtains, and the performers are simply lit. When the lights dim and you hear the lively and stirring rhythms of traditional music, you know the show is about to begin.
The story is that of Romeo and Juliet, but not a tragic romance, rather an innovative comic version. A drummer boy and violinist girl fall madly in love with each other, against the wishes if both their families. The percussion symbolises the lovesick young man's family and the sounds of strings represent his girlfriend's family, The story is told through traditional music, percussion performances, jazz and even break dancing and beat boxing.
As for the Korean instruments used in the performance, these include a gayageum (12-stringed Korean zither), a geomungo (six-stringed Korean zither), a haegeum (two-stringed Korean fiddle) and a sogeum (a bamboo flute).
Although it is a mainly a non-verbal performance aimed at non-Korean audiences, there is a little dialogue. This is translated and projected onto a screen in several languages including English, Chinese and Japanese.
One Thai tourist who caught the show, said: "It was exciting, especially as I sat in the third row and was so close to the stage. The performers put on a great show. I enjoyed it a lot. I didn't see any pop stars anywhere. Maybe I'll be lucky next time."
The Fanta-Stick show is at the Fanta-Stick Theatre, on the second floor of the Kyunghyang Newspaper Building, Jung-gu, Seoul. You can see performance every day at 8pm. Seats are 40,000 to 50,000 won (1,100 to 1,375 baht). Visit www.fanta-stick.co.kr for more information.
