A cultural ambassador: Eun Sunyoung bridges Korea and Japan through dance

Eun Sunyoung¹ is a dancer. She comes from South Korea, but she lives in Japan now. She has been here for twenty-one years and plans on staying longer. She has a lot of work to do here.

I first saw Eun Sunyoung when she was dancing at an open-air performance. Her movements, along with the music, were slow, dramatic and deeply haunting. I knew then that I wanted to learn more about her and the mysterious world her dancing evoked.

Eun Sunyoung was born in Jeonju. That town is famous for Korean traditional houses, food, arts, and “noble society”, as she calls the upper class. Therefore, as a child, Eun Sunyoung was imbued with that great kingdom’s spirit and energy. Likewise, her mother came from wealth, which added to the grandeur of her upbringing.

At a very early age, Eun Sunyoung began to dance. Her mother frowned upon it, believing it was beneath a person of her social status. Korea is a hierarchal, patriarchal culture that rigidly adheres to social delineations. So, social status often defines who a person is. Each layer in that hierarchy has specific roles that are permitted and others that are prohibited. So, in Eun Sunyoung’s mother’s eyes dancing was something women of the lower classes did. Wearing make-up was shocking.

But Eun Sunyoung’s father was more open-minded. He was a professor of Japanese kanji (the writing system borrowed from China). He sang Korean poetry and accompanied himself with traditional music. He loved his daughter and wanted her to be happy. So, for him, if she wanted to dance, fine. He would provide her with the best teachers available. So, little Eun Sunyoung was trained well. She continued following her dream all the way through university, despite the disapproval and belittling of her mother.

At age twenty-five she left home and went to Seoul. For five years she worked as an assistant to the number one dancer in all South Korea. She not only perfected her dancing and performance skills, but she also learned about choreography, costumes and also how to teach.

During that time she appeared on national television. Her mother watched that performance and wept. Not from shame, but from pride. However, she never overtly let her daughter know her changed feelings. To this day she continues to deride her to her face, but praises her behind her back.

As an aside, up until university all of Eun Sunyoung’s teachers were men. In Korea male priests perform religious dances that are closely connected to prayer. This means there is a deep spiritual connection to certain kinds of dance. That is the dimension Eun Sunyoung focuses on.

After five years of training in Seoul, Eun Sunyoung’s teacher suggested she go to Japan to study make-up with some of the greatest artists in Asia. But first she needed to learn the language. So, for two years she studied Japanese in Tokyo. And then for another two years she concentrated on make-up. After that she could have returned to her home country, but opportunities began to open up for her where she was.

Currently in Japan Korean culture is a very trendy interest. Many schools offer Korean language classes. And many couples choose South Korea for their honeymoon trip. Exclusive hotels offer evening attractions, including dances and music by Koreans. Eun Sunyoung got hooked up with one of these hotels, which was in the northeastern region of Japan. That is how she left Tokyo and headed to a new future.

Unfortunately that glamorous hotel went bankrupt when the economic bubble burst. So, Eun Sunyoung moved to the major city in the area. She needed to earn a living, so along with teaching dance, she opened her own business. In fact, over the years she had several businesses. She ran a karaoke for a while. And she also had a kimuchi shop. Kimuchi is the fiery spice full of chili peppers that is so pervasive in Korean food. She also opened a “yakiniku” restaurant. “Yakiniku” means “grilled meat”. It comes as teeny pieces of tender meat on a small wooden skewer. “Yakiniku” restaurants are extremely popular since the spicy meat makes a good snack and is marvelous with beer. So, Eun Sunyoung worked very hard.

Next to her restaurant she had her dance school. So, in her free time she practiced. One day a man saw her. He was so impressed that he asked her to go to his school to teach the students there. That particular high school had a sister school in Busan, Korea. So, Eun Sunyoung’s dance classes fit perfectly with the school’s existing program.

This connection with the school clarified Eun Sunyoung sense of a new mission. She wanted to act as a cultural ambassador between Japan and Korea. And she wanted to do that her own way: independently and through dance.

From the high school she went to an elementary school where she still teaches. The music she uses there is with the Korean drum called the “chango.” Unlike Japanese “taiko” drums that are struck from the front, “chango” drums are played from both sides. It takes time to learn these instruments properly. But Eun Sunyoung is a patient, devoted teacher. So, her students gradually improve and eventually excel in their performances.

Now Japan has a very low birthrate, so schools are in economic trouble. Much of Eun Sunyoung’s work in them is volunteer. “I don’t care," she says. “Seeing the joy on the kids’ faces is my payment. And who knows? Maybe these lessons are having a big influence on their attitudes. We need cross-cultural understanding. And hopefully this is one step towards it.”

Now Eun Sunyoung has stopped all of her other jobs and focuses only on dance and music. Her first classes consisted of members of a women’s club for Koreans living in Japan. Some of these people are second or third generation Koreans. They are barred from citizenship, unless they marry a Japanese person. The older members wish to keep their heritage alive. That is why they are eager to take Eun Sunyoung’s lessons. But Eun Sunyoung wishes to instill knowledge and cultural pride among the younger generation of Koreans born in Japan, too. She makes a special effort with them.

But now her classes include many Japanese also. Unmarried OLs (Office Ladies) love her lessons. And many students study with her after school. People go to her studio, but Eun Sunyoung also goes all over the city giving lessons.

Eun Sunyoung teaches classical dance, but she adapts many of these dances. For example, she designs the costumes and make-up. She does all the choreography. And she makes new arrangements. She also helps dancers put on their costumes, make-up and wigs. By tradition all of these are done separately, each by a different professional. So, the cost is prohibitive. But Eun Sunyoung can do all of these herself. That way her students save money, but more importantly, each performance is fully her own creation, while staying in the orb of tradition. So, in that arena, too, she is a bridge: old and new, Korea and Japan.

And she has found success. She has loyal, beautifully trained students, of course. But she has also appeared on Japanese national television and in newspapers many times.

Recently Eun Suyoung has started taking ikebana lessons. “This form of art enhances my dancing," she explains. “I decorate my studio with flowers. And the beauty of the arrangements inspires my students to do their best.”

Eun Sunyoung has many friends here. So, she hopes to stay until she becomes old. “Then I will return to Korea. Of course, I will be a foreigner there by then," she said with a wistful smile. “But my family is there. And family ties are very strong for Asians.”

I asked her for a final word, and this is what she said: “Cross-culture awareness through dance is my work. In fact, it is my mission. I teach culture to feed the mind. I teach dance to feed the soul. Yes, this is my mission. This is why I am alive.”

¹Eun is her family name. Sunyoung is her given name.