Endless Shouts in Deep Darkness
Unravel the Han (恨) through Dynamic Movement

Darkness Poomba is a contemporary reinterpretation of “Poomba,” a source material drawn from the Korean tradition. The word “Poomba” refers to singer–beggars who wandered the land, begging with songs, and their songs were often drawn from deep-seated resentment and the sense of injustice at the disdain and mistreatment they suffered.
Seven dancers take to the stage, dancing and singing to overcome fear within the darkness. The emotions of fear and anxiety are sublimated in parallel with the uniquely Korean emotion of han(恨).
The performance maintains the structure of a “Poomba” but adds contemporary rearrangements to the music and dynamic movements of male dancers to ensure that anyone from around the world can enjoy the uniquely Korean core of the performance. The stage is a flurry of rapid movements, live music from guitar, bass, and drums, and pansori (epic chant).

The inspiration for Darkness Poomba goes back to choreographer Kim Jae-duk’s high school days when he came across singer Shin Hae Chul’s album MONOCROM. In particular, Kim came across the 13 min–long song “I’ve Got Nothing,” which integrates a Poomba part. He resolved to use that part in his future project, and a variation of that portion would eventually be used in Darkness Poomba. The performance debuted in a 25 min–long piece in 2006, and its present, 1 hr form was created in 2014.

An interesting part of Darkness Poomba is its unique music, which integrates variations of “Poomba,”, “Dokdo is Our Land,”, and the pansori “Jeokbyeokga” alongside the song “Find,”, written by Kim Jae-duk. The latter, in particular, was added in 2015 as a representation of the performance’s core concept, “deficiency.” The music expresses the lack of elements that should be there—deficiencies—or unfulfillment, leading to expressions of hunger and thirst through the body. The pansori “Jeokbyeokga” is a masculine and robust sound that adds energy to the movement of male dancers onstage. The song used in the performance, “Soldiers lament,” where soldiers gather to discuss their lot just before the Battle of Red Cliffs, represents the difficult lives of commoners through the soldiers remembering their parents and family.

Another standout in the movement of male dancers is the steel chopstick performance. Steel chopsticks are famous for their wide use solely in Korea. The rhythm generated by the chopsticks and dancers resembles that of tap dance, drawing in the audience to listen to the dancers’ movements beyond their eyes.