Melo Villareal
Sinulog Festival at Wonju Dynamic Dancing Carnival 2015 in South Korea
Wonju is the most populous city in Gangwon province, South Korea. It is a city approximately 140 km east of Seoul, which is accessible by bus or train; travel time for Seoul to Wonju is around an hour and 20 minutes.
Sinulog Festival at Wonju Dynamic Dancing Carnival 2015
Along with other bloggers and travel writers, we visited Wonju as part of our “I Love Korea” Fam Tour which was sponsored by Korea Tourism Organization and AirAsia. Our recent visit to South Korea became memorable after watching the Philippines’ very own Sinulog Dancers performing at the Wonju Dynamic Dancing Carnival 2015.
Festival in Korea: Wonju Dynamic Dancing Carnival 2015
During our visit to Wonju Hanji Museum, we were informed by our tour guide that we would be fortunate enough to witness the highlight of the Wonju Dynamic Dancing Carnival 2015. Coming from a country with lots of colorful and grand festivals, I wasn’t particularly excited about it, but when our tour guide informed us that the opening number would be performed by the Sinulog Festival Dancers from Cebu, everyone suddenly got excited to watch the performance.
Korean Performers at Wonju Dynamic Dancing Carnival 2015
After having dinner at Sha-Bu De’Nuvo, we proceeded to the festival grounds. The number of spectators wasn’t as huge as those seen in local festivals in the Philippines, but the crowd was so appreciative that they enthusiastically clapped after each performance.
Sinulog Festival Performance in Korea
They started the night with the Philippine contingent which was no other than the Sinulog Festival Dancers from the University of Cebu Dance Company. Wearing red and gold inspired costume, our Sinulog Dancers are probably the best dressed contingent in this year’s festival. The Dance Company wowed and impressed the crowd with their performance of the classic Sinulog Dance.
Local Performers at Wonju Dynamic Dancing Carnival
The Wonju Dynamic Dancing Carnival 2015 which kicked off last September 16, showcased various group dances and musical performances from Korea and other parts of the world. Apart from the Philippines’ representative, I also saw other contingents from Europe and other parts of Asia.
The carnival is Korea’s biggest festival parade where the road is used as the stage for dancers and musical performers from Korea and the rest of the world. This year’s Wonju Dynamic Dancing Carnival winners will take home a total prize of 150,000,000 Korean Won. Part of the criteria for overseas participants states that each group should have at least 20 performers; they can present as a marching band, perform any traditional, ballet, or modern dance, and even showcase martial arts skills.
Sinulog Festival Perfromers in Korea
Even though we didn’t know about the carnival before our visit, it was a pleasant surprise to find a piece of home in a different place. Seeing various cultures, costumes and dance routines from different parts of the World was such a nice experience. I would love to go back to Korea next year for Wonju Dynamic Dancing Festival 2016.
For inquiries, visit http://www.dynamicwonju.com/eng/2-1.html Customer Center : +82-70-8878-9401, +82-33-763-9401 Adress : Wonju Dynamic Festival Office. 170, Dangu-ro, Wonju-si, Gangwon-d,. Korea
AirAsia’s Manila-Incheon (Seoul) flights occur twice daily. It’s the shortest trip, but AirAsia also offers flights from Cebu to Seoul once a day, and two-way chartered flights to/from Kalibo (Boracay), Incheon (Seoul), and Busan. For flight booking and reservations, visit http://www.airasia.com/. Follow them on Facebookand Instagram.
