Walking itself can be music. Running can even be a dynamic dance if it has a certain rhythm. The simple act of tapping the heel and toe - with special shoes that become a percussive instrument - creates exquisite music. This is tap dancing.

A dynamic and powerful tap performance was performed by Tap Kun at the JDC Elite Building, Aradong, Jeju City, on Sept. 23. Tap Kun was invited by Jeju Science Park employees and their show included b-boying, mime, comedy, hat juggling, cane dancing and games with the audience. There was also space for Korean traditional songs such as Arirang and various other musical performances.

Although the audience was fairly sparse, the host of the show cheerfully started by commenting, “We consider that all of you are our VVIPs. Usually we perform in front of big audiences [but today] we were invited only as special guests, VVIPs.”

The leader of the performance team, Lee Yeowoo, said, ‘We are based in Mapo-gu, Seoul. This project is called the “Exciting Art Trip,” supervised by the Korea Culture Art Association. We visit multicultural families and places isolated from art performances through this project. We visit wherever a company or institution calls us. This is the third visit to Jeju this year.”

Lee introduced the team: “Our team was established in 2002. The representative of our company learned tap dancing in New York and we are all his disciples.”

Five male team members of Tap Kun showed their unique talents and characters during the show. Their faces and gestures showed their special characteristics and allowed the audience to become enthralled by their act.

One member of the team especially stood out and he was Danylichev Danylo from Ukraine. He said, “I came to Korea in 2004 and I joined this team one year ago. My wife is Korean and she used to be a member of our team and was the first to introduce me.”

▲ Photo by Kim Jinmi

Addtionally he mentioned that he loves the sea and swimming. “The Jeju sea is so clean and there are wonderful beaches. My first visit to Jeju was my honeymoon and lasted only three days. So, it was not enough to see the various places in Jeju. This time, I would like to visit and see the more diverse sides of Jeju.”

This performance was hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Korean President Park Geun-hye is implementing a policy to promote culture and arts as per her election pledge. The ministry selected and guided art teams from May this year for performances in villages and towns that do not usually get to witness art performances.

The Korean government also recently announced it is to increase the budget for the arts by 187 billion won, a 53 percent increase on last year.