Pungmul

Pungmul, also called nongak or farmers' dance, is Korea's traditional outdoor percussion theatre: village troupes of drummers and dancers in ribboned hats perform acrobatic routines to the interlocking rhythms of gongs and drums, historically at harvest festivals, village rituals and celebrations. Led by the small kkwaenggwari gong, the ensemble of buk barrel drum, janggu hourglass drum and jing large gong plays to bless the community, drive away spirits and bind the village together. The performance is participatory by design: spectators are drawn into the final dance, and the boundary between troupe and audience dissolves.