Interview with Korean dancer-shaman Hi-ah Park

At the initiation ceremony, the minyong was placed leading onto the upstage portion of the house as a bridge between the heaven and the earth. To test my psychic ability and to determine if I could identify the deities who had descended on me, my Godmother and her assistant shaman, who serves as a messenger, sat at the end of the minyong, in a sense ending in heaven. A straw mat was placed downstage. Each question asked by the head shaman was repeated by her assistant. Instead of answering the questions directly, I began dancing. Then, kneeling down on the straw mat, I answered the questions orally. The dance seemed to heighten the trance state so that my answer came without thinking as if I know everything already.

The first question was, “If you become a shaman, through which gate will you enter?”

I started singing in an occult nature, previously unknown to me. Again I danced until possessed and knelt down to wait for the next question.

--Hi-ah Park as interviewed by Lauren W. Deutsch

Read more at:

Meeting With Sanshin:
An Interview with Hiah Park, Lover of the Mountain God
by Lauren W. Deutsch, Kyoto Journal, 1993

See (and learn) dances of Aceh (Sumatra, Indonesia)

Asia Society

presents

Tari Aceh: Dance from Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia

Tari Aceh

Saturday, February 28

7pm -- pre-performance lecture

8pm -- performance

info/tickets

Sunday, March 1

11am-1pm -- workshop with dancers of Tari Aceh, 

exploring traditions and hallmarks of Acehnese dance

info/tickets

Aceh (Sumatra, Indonesia) is renowned for its exuberant performances combining text, poetry, dance, and movement with a distinct flavor that reflects local culture as well as a strong Islamic influence. It has been ten years since the devastating tsunami killed over 200,000 people in Aceh. This performance celebrates the resilience of the people and a new generation of young women whose traditions have provided an important part of the healing process.

One of the hallmarks of Acehnese dance is a form of body percussion in which various rhythms are created by slapping the body or clapping. One form — saman — is done in a tight line, shoulder-to-shoulder, becoming almost a singular-being moving at split-second speed. The form is not only entertaining, but also has an educational side which reflects the morals and teachings of the community.

This is a rare opportunity to see an all-female group from Syiah Kuala University, located in Banda Aceh, the capital of the Aceh province on the western Indonesian island of Sumatra.

This program is part of Asia Society's ongoing initiative Creative Voices of Muslim Asia.

Can't make it to this program? Tune in to AsiaSociety.org/Live at 7pm EST for a free live video webcast.

Asia Society
725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street), Manhattan
(map/directions)

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Stanford Makishi takes new role at Asian Cultural Council

Asian Cultural Council (ACC) Executive Director Jennifer P. Goodale announced the appointment of Stanford Makishi as Director of Programs. The newly created position signifies ACC’s ongoing, dynamic response to the changing needs of cultural, educational and artistic exchange between the United States and Asia. Mr. Makishi begins the new position on August 1.

“Ever since it was founded by John D. Rockefeller 3rd in 1963, ACC has played a crucial and visionary role in promoting major cultural and artistic exchanges between the United States and Asia as well as between the countries of Asia,” said Ms. Goodale in announcing Mr. Makishi’s appointment. “Stanford’s uniquely rich and varied artistic, cultural, and intellectual background will offer a new perspective on our work and facilitate ACC’s ability to meet the needs of contemporary artists at critical stages in their careers and the shifting issues that mark cultural exchange in our rapidly changing world.”

Mr. Makishi’s responsibilities will include leadership of the organization’s grant-making process, as well as exploring and creating new ways to meet the unique needs of each of the creative individuals funded by ACC.

“ACC has been remarkably forward-thinking in its support of important emerging artists, revered masters and scholars from a vast Asia, long before the digital age shrank our world,” said Mr. Makishi. “The organization is now identifying new ways to enrich the lives and careers of creative people, while remaining true to the far-sighted goals set forth by John D. Rockefeller 3rd nearly 50 years ago. I am thrilled and humbled to be able to help make this possible.”

Prior to his present appointment at the ACC, Mr. Makishi was Executive Director of the Baryshnikov Arts Center, where he oversaw all facets of the organization, including fundraising, strategic planning, capital expansion, budget oversight, artistic planning and programming, and general management of staff and facilities. During his tenure, in addition to more than doubling BAC’s annual operating budget, he put in motion a $15 million capital campaign, led the purchase and renovation of BAC’s new Jerome Robbins Theater, greatly expanded the Center’s robust residency program, and was closely involved with the launch of an international festival at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Florida.

As Director of Creative Services at Carnegie Hall, Makishi oversaw the group that serviced and optimized institutional brand management, publishing operations, Internet activity, fundraising efforts, pedagogy, and communications. Mr. Makishi was a performer with the Trisha Brown Dance Company and became the company’s development director after he retired from dancing. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Mr. Makishi, 46, is a graduate of Harvard University, where he was recognized as a Harvard National Scholar and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics. He is presently a panelist for the dance program at the New York State Council on the Arts, a board member of the Trisha Brown Dance Company, and the Artistic Advisor for the Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center.

The Asian Cultural Council awards an average of 100 grants a year for travel and study, totaling approximately $1.5 million annually, with offices and affiliates in Hong Kong, Manila, Taiwan and Tokyo. To date, the ACC has supported nearly 6,000 artists and scholars in cultural exchange programs; among them are Cai Guo-Qiang, Ushio Torikai, Lee Breuer, Yang Meiqi, Meredith Monk, Lin Hwai-min, Robert Wilson, Ming Cho Lee, and Barbara London.

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