Pyongyang, North Korea - On May 2, 1998, the Little Angels Children’s Folk Ballet of Korea arrived in Pyongyang via a special charter flight. The largest group in the history of north-south exchanges to date was invited by the North Korea’s Asia Pacific Peace Committee and met at their airport by their Northern counterparts. The young musicians and dancers took each others’ hands, bonding like old friends without even asking each others’ name.
At a welcoming banquet at the People’s Palace of Culture, Mr. Song Ho-gyong, vice chairman of North Korea’s Asia Pacific Peace Committee, said: “We are very happy to welcome the Little Angels visit to Pyongyang [in a visit] which transcends political ideology and religious differences. We are unified based on our national character and cultural heritage. We rejoice in our achievement of the solidarity of our people.” He picked up one of the little girls and gave a big smile.
Dr. Bo Hi Pak, president of the Little Angels, responded, “In 1962 Rev. Sun Myung Moon had the vision to create the Little Angels with the purpose of enhancing and spreading our rich cultural heritage. I am very happy to report to you that our first cultural exchange between north and south is being carried out by children who are the symbols of peace.” Thank you for your heartwarming welcome.“
The first and second performances were at the Ponghwa Performing Arts Theatre in Pyongyang. Before the historical performance the 38 girls, who were between the ages of 9 and 14, were nervous. “Just put your minds at ease, and do your best,” Dr. Pak encouraged them. There were 100 cases of stage equipment, weighing about four tons. The stage hands and prop and costume staff were busy making sure there would be no mistakes. The staff and technical crews from both North and South worked together in preparation for a superior performance.
Thirty minutes before the performance, people started filling the hall. In the audience were high government officials, people from the cultural and performing arts world, educators, actors and citizens from many walks of life.
A member of the Little Angels, Miss Ro-sa So, welcomed the audience: “We sincerely thank you for coming to see our performance. We hope for the day of the unification of our homeland will come soon so we can come more often,” she announced.
The program began with the “Flower Crown Dance,” followed by “Springtime” and the “Fan Dance,” dances that have charmed audiences during their tours of more than 50 countries. Young boys and girls danced together with comical expressions at the “Wedding Day Dance.” They played “Arirang” on the kayakum, a traditional Korean 12-stringed zither. The “Drum Dance” and the “Hourglass Drum Dance” drew warm applause, along with “The Doll Dance” and “The Moon Festival.” Traditional dances and songs blended together, and people in the audience could feel that all Koreans were one people with roots in a 5000-year-old culture. The entire company gathered on stage for the “Farm Dance,” featuring swirling colored sashes.
The highlight of the performance was the chorus singing the North Korean song, “We Are Happy to Meet You,” and the audience clapped in time. The Little Angels invited the audience to join in singing “The Song of Unification.” As the performers and audience sang together at the end of the two-hour program, the stage and hall became a sea of tears. Members of the audience came to embrace the Little Angels and bring bouquets of flowers.
Mr. Kim Young-sun came to the stage to compliment the children: “I gave you great applause because you were absolutely perfect.” The company had performed 5,000 times, but there had never been such acclamation. They received 10 curtain calls.
Dr. Su-woong Kwak, president of the Mangyongdae School Children’s Palace, was deeply moved by the Little Angels’ performance. ”Their songs and costumes were all based on our national character and cultural heritage. They expressed our national character and cultural pride very well.”
The Little Angels was formed in 1962 with the goal of performing in Pyongyang. The way was opened during the 1991 meeting between President Kim Il-sung and Rev. Sun Myung Moon, who had dedicated his entire life to world peace and unification of the homeland.
Support for the performances, sightseeing, meals, etc., was all top quality. On the days without performances, the Little Angels toured downtown Pyongyang and its famous sights. With its population of 2 million people, Pyongyang has many political and cultural facilities. They went to the Mangyongdae School Children’s Palace, where sports, sciences, and more than 200 activities take place. On a trip to Mount Kumgang, they exclaimed at the scenery, which until then they had only known through songs. At the Kuryong waterfall, they sang the Kumgang Mountain song. At Myohang Mountain they visited the International Friendship Exhibition Hall, with its souvenirs from all over the world. They saw the Pohyun Temple, with its eight-sided pagoda 13 stories tall, and ate lunch of roast beef, Korean style, and played in the water and sang songs.
“We warmly welcome the respected teachers of the Little Angels and our beloved friends from South Korea to our Mangyongdae School Children’s Palace,” a member of the Mangyongdae Performing Arts Troupe announced in introducing their performance in response to the Little Angels’ dancing and singing. Many points of similarity were apparent. There was a dance entitled “Sowing Flower Seeds,” and an intricate “Traditional Korean Farm Dance” with colored sashes. There were unique dances created from games such as hide and seek. Lines of children performed rhythmic movements as perfectly as if they were one body. In the “Fan Dance,” translucent fans shimmered in aqua and pink. Then the Mansude Performing Arts Theater performed the “Janggang Dance” and played the kayakum with bells on the players’ wrists providing additional melodic qualities. The “Fan Dance” featured translucent turquoise and rose colored fans. The Pyongyang People’s Circus featured almost superhuman acrobatics and ingenious variations on games such as jump rope, in which four performers linked together jumped over the rope each time it hit the stage floor.
At the Mangyongdae amusement park, the children rode the rides at the park together. “When we meet our friends from the South we feel like one family,” reported one North Korean girl. “They are so friendly, I feel so happy,” another girl commented. Marching in a circle behind each other with hands on each others’ shoulders, they took the “Unification Train,” from Mt. Sorak to Mt. Paektu.
The 11 days passed quickly. Singing “We’ll See You Again,” a North Korean song, the children wept, not knowing when they would see each other again. The adults’ hearts contracted, knowing that the children’s sorrow was because of the adults. As the children parted, they exchanged letters they would not be able to send. As they turned to go, the tears once again began to fall. In the rain, the children who had become friends held umbrellas for each other and exchanged presents.
South Korean and international media assessed the performances as an exchange that would advance the process of unification. Special documentaries about the historical event were also aired. Dr. Il-shik Hong, president of Korea University, said “I think the Little Angels’ visit to North Korea has a meaning far beyond the performances themselves. Starting from small events like this, when they multiply a large way will be opened, and [when] large ways are open then eventually unification will come.” Mr. Byung-hwa Cho, Chairman of the National Academy of Arts, said, “The Little Angels did a great job of warming up the hearts of the people here. I hope this will warm up the political leaders in the North and South as well so that a wonderful climate for national unification can be created.”
With the many barriers separating the two Koreas, they had to return in a roundabout way. The songs and dances that had held people together for 5,000 years help soothe the wounds. The deeper and more sincere the pain of parting, the more eager the hope of meeting again.
Source: Excerpted from print and video productions of the Little Angels Children’s Folk Ballet.