A Colorful Welcome to a Cultural Fort Collins

Members+of+the+First+Korean+Church+of+Fort+Collins%2C+interacts+with+the+audience+after+the+performance+at+the+Annual+NoCo+Korean+culture+festival+in+Old+Town+Square

Collegian | Tri Duong

Members of Hansori Band interact with the audience after their performance at the annual NoCo Korean Festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24.

Tri Duong, Photo Director

The annual Northern Colorado Korean Festival returned to Fort Collins for its second year with a turnout of approximately 250 attendees. The event was hosted with support from the Hansori Korean Culture Organization alongside the First Korean Church of Fort Collins and featured K-pop choreography, traditional fan dancing, martial art demonstrations and drum performances. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the community was inspired to host this event to express a message of unity to Northern Colorado residents, and it continues to raise awareness and bond people over Korean culture.

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  • Juni Park and Chelsea Nam, event hosts of the Northern Colorado Korean Festival, share a laugh before the introduction of K-pop group COKO Choreo in Old Town Square Sept. 24. Park is a Ph.D. candidate in geology at Colorado State University and is married to Nam, a hurricane meteorologist.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Members of Hansori Band play the traditional drums and gongs of Samulnori during the second annual Korean culture festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Members of Hansori Band perform the traditional fan dance Buchaechum in Old Town Square Sept. 24. The movement was influenced by shamanic styles with musical rhythms that formed patterns of flowers.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Ja Kyung Kim, choreography members of Hansori Band, looks toward the audience after the first performance of traditional Korean fan dance in Old Town Square Sept. 24. In the Hangul alphabet, traditional fan dance is called Buchaechum, which is the combination of music rhythms, costumes and choreography to depict images such as butterflies.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Ja Kyung Kim, choreography members of Hansori Band, looks toward the audience after the first performance of traditional Korean fan dance in Old Town Square Sept. 24. The traditional dance is called Buchaechum.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Ah Young Kim, Korean traditional drum performer, plays the janggu at the second Annual Korean culture festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Audience members cheer for the K-pop group COKO Choreo performers at the second annual Korean Festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24. This year’s turnout was approximately 250 attendees.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Ah Young Kim, choreography members of Hansori Band, looks toward the audience after the first performance of the traditional Korean fan dance in Old Town Square Sept. 24. The traditional dance is called Buchaechum.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Ja Kyung Kim, Korean traditional drum performer, plays the janggu at the second Annual Korean culture festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Members of Hansori Band perform the traditional fan dance known as Buchaechum in Old Town Square Sept. 24. The movement was influenced by shamanic styles with musical rhythms that formed patterns of flowers.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Sarah Kim, Jenny Yoon, Nada Seriu-Aigbokhan and Jasenia Sutherlin, members of the K-pop group COKO Choreo, perform “Pink Venom” by BLACKPINK for the community of Northern Colorado during the second annual Korean Festival in Old Town Square, Fort Collins Sept. 24. The group has been together for a year and seeks to engage with more students in the future through their passion for choreography.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Jenny Yoon, Jasenia Sutherlin, Nada Seriu-Aigbokhan and Sarah Kim, members of the K-pop group COKO Choreo, perform “Pink Venom” by BLACKPINK during the second annual Korean Festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24. The group has been together for a year and seeks to engage with more students in the future through their passion for choreography.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Jasenia Sutherlin, Sarah Kim and Jenny Yoon, members of the K-pop group COKO Choreo, perform “Pink Venom” by BLACKPINK during the second annual Korean Festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Jenny Yoon, member of K-pop group COKO Choreo, sings “If It Is You” by Jung Seung Hwan during the second annual Korean culture festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24. Yoon is also a student at Colorado State University in pursuit of an undergraduate degree in journalism and media communication.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Jenny Yoon, member of K-pop group COKO Choreo, sings “If It Is You” by Jung Seung Hwan during the second annual Korean culture festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Kyeoung Hee Kim, Colorado State University instructor of Korean, directs her students in singing a traditional Korean folk song, “Arirang,” in Old Town Square Sept. 24. The title represents unity to symbolize where North and South Korea connect through artistic expression.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Conductor Hyemi Woo leads students from the Colorado State University Korean language class in performing a traditional Korean folk song, “Arirang,” in Old Town Square Sept. 24. North and South Koreans both sing the song to represent unity due to the divide caused by wars.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Kyeoung Hee Kim, Colorado State University instructor of Korean, directs her students in singing a traditional Korean folk song, “Arirang,” in Old Town Square Sept. 24. The title represents unity to symbolize where North and South Korea connect through artistic expression.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Students of K World Class Tae Kwon Do and Deokyeol Kim, director of the martial arts school, display a performance of strength during the second annual Korean culture festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Audience members cheer for the K-pop group COKO Choreo at the second annual Korean culture festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24. This year’s turnout was approximately 250 attendees.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Students of K World Class Tae Kwon Do and Deokyeol Kim, director of the martial arts school, display a performance of strength during the second annual Korean culture festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24. Kim moved from New York to Northern Colorado in 2019 and is going on 13 years of teaching self-defense.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Juni Park and Chelsea Nam, event hosts of the Korean Festival, introduce the audience to the second annual event in Old Town Square Sept. 24. Park is a Ph.D. candidate in geology at Colorado State University and is married to Nam, a hurricane meteorologist.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Mia Lim, official organizer for the Korean Festival, cheers on the performers of the Korean language class singing traditional folk songs in Old Town Square Sept. 24. Lim said the idea for expressing Korean culture within the Northern Colorado area was important to show appreciation and community support through the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Minsuk Hally, member of the First Korean Church of Fort Collins, helps at a festival station that made dalgona candy, a food recently popularized by the Netflix show “Squid Game,” in Old Town Square Sept. 24. The candy was a mixture of baking soda and granulated sugar, which tasted like burnt marshmallows.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Minsuk Hally, member of the First Korean Church of Fort Collins, admires the community support of traditional folk culture during the Korean Festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Members of Hansori Band display traditional drums of Samulnori during the second annual Korean culture festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Ja Kyung Kim, Korean traditional drums performer, plays the janggu at the second annual Korean culture festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24. Samulnori is percussion-style folk music inspired by pungmul.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Jeonghun Kim, leader of Hansori Korea Culture Organization, observes the reaction of the audience while playing his instrument, a kkwaenggwari, at the second annual Korean culture festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24. The kkwaenggwari is a small handheld gong.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Jeonghun Kim, leader of Hansori Korea Culture Organization, observes the reaction of the audience while playing his instrument, a kkwaenggwari, at the second annual Korean culture festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24. The kkwaenggwari is a small handheld gong.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Mi Ja Peak, choreography director of Hansori Band, comes around to the audience with her instrument after her performance at the annual NoCo Korean Festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24. Samulnori is a percussion style that originated in the 1970s.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Ah Young Kim, Korean traditional drums performer, plays the janggu at the second annual Korean culture festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24. Samulnori is percussion-style folk music inspired by music common during the Joseon dynasty.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Members of Hansori Band interact with the audience after their performance at the annual NoCo Korean Festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
  • Aasha Sadiq, Colorado State University student of interior architecture and design, wears a traditional Korean dress during the Korean Festival in Old Town Square Sept. 24. “It would be awesome if everyone dresses like this, even if it’s just a normal day,” Sadiq said.

    Collegian | Tri Duong
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Reach Tri Duong  at photo@collegian.com or on Twitter @TheRoamingLight.

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