@Tiffany: Actually, I just remembered a person who might be able to help as she’s studied in LA and is currently in SK continuing her research about mask dancing. http://cedarbough.blogspot.com/ Email her– she might be able to help!

@Tiffany: I wish I could help on that one. I’ve only recently discovered Korean masks in Korea. If you’re in Korea, you’ll find mask workshops at traditional villages and at festivals; outside, I wouldn’t know. You may want to look into your local Korean community center. They may have an annual cultural fair. Good luck.

My 8 year old son is practically OBSESSED with Korean Masks (his teacher recently introduced his 2nd grade class to them, and he can’t stop talking about, asking for help searing the internet for them, etc.). We are trying to find anywhere in the Los Angeles –a shop, festival, class, museum, etc., where he can learn about the masks, make the masks, see the masks, etc., anything. Do you know of anywhere in the LA area that we could visit to learn about Korean Masks (we haven’t even been able to find ways to order the masks online)? ANY advice or suggestions you can give would be so appreciated!! Thank you so much in advance.

-tiffany

@Gomushin Girl: Researching how to get to an event is a task in itself. Might’ve helped to research beforehand but it didn’t occur to me that the festival might be split into 2 different locations and that the traditional masks would be at the secondary location. =-( I went with a group of people also, so we weren’t clocking a definite schedule or sharp shooting performances. Once boredom hits, it takes a lot to convince people to stay much longer. Curation of talent needs to be tight if a festival is to be successful. It was still interesting & I might attempt it another year.

@CB Saeji: Yes, I found the Seoul Mask Dance Festival info on your website. Sounds amazing and thanks for some of the backstory! Hopefully I’ll get a chance to see some traditional mask dances while i’m here and good luck on the doctoral!

Anyways, I also went to the mask festival and I really liked it, but A. I’m easily entertained and B. I also saw the mask dance at Hahoe Village (the same weekend) and that was awesome! That felt more traditional and beautiful to me than the performances I saw at Andong City.

@CB Saeji: I appreciate the insight! 😉 Yes, it felt contemporary, especially due to the story and mask, but it felt like it was inspired by a more folksy or traditional root. Is that true? Feel free to share more insight on the subject of mask dancing as you and your site seem very informed by on the topic. I was hoping to see some of the types of shows I saw in the brochure.