Korea Festa draws crowds to Huntington for everything from K-Pop to gonggi
Jordan Pan, 20, of Westbury, demonstrates his black belt talents during a Taekwondo demonstration at the Huntington's Korea Festa. Credit: Joseph Sperber
On an outdoor stage in Huntington Sunday, nine students, from schoolchildren to young adults, demonstrated a series of high, spinning kicks, the signature move of the Korean martial art tae kwon do. An appreciative audience clapped at each athletic feat.
The performance was part of Korea Festa, a three-day celebration of Korean dance, music, food, crafts and games at the Mahanaim music institute.
"Korean culture has kind of taken over the globe," Daniel Oh, one of the organizers of the event, said. "And what we're doing is riding that wave."
Enthusiasm for Korean pop music has swept the country for the past decade, and this festival looks to introduce people to some less familiar aspects Korean culture as well, Oh said. "Everything here is very accessible" for those who don't know a lot about Korean culture.
Between 7,000 and 8,000 people attended the first day of the festival, Oh estimated.
Madellyn Huang, 9, of Queens is shown Taekwondo techniques by Michael Ro, of Plainview. Credit: Joseph Sperber
The festival also offers Korean American families a chance to celebrate the culture of their country of origin. One of the tae kwon do performers, Daniel Han, 20, who lives in Queens, started learning the martial art when he was 3. For his parents, it was a way to keep the family connected to the country of their birth.
He has continued training because "there are thousands of techniques" to learn, so there are always new skills to master. But "it's not just building physical ability," Han added. "It's also learning discipline, and learning self-confidence, and how to be respectful."
Korea Festa, organized by the Good News New York Church in Huntington, featured a long line of food tents, where volunteers prepared specialties such as kimchi, tteokbokki and pajeon — a classic scallion pancake dish that is eaten on its own as a snack or with rice and soup for dinner.
Anna Fitzgerald Fitzgerald, 24, of Sayville, left, and Providence Kempf, 24, of West Sayville, enjoy a picnic of Korean treats. Credit: Joseph Sperber
Alex Tyers, from East Northport, and a group of friends ate dumplings, chicken on a skewer and other dishes, saying they were enjoying trying a cuisine that was less familiar to them. "I know Chinese, Japanese," Tyers said, "but Korean not as much."
Later in the afternoon, a member of the Memphis Belle dance team — based not in Tennessee but in Huntington — gave a quick demonstration of K-Pop dance set to the wildly popular tune "REDRED" by Cortis, and then taught audience members some of her moves.
People milled about, sampling the activities at a series of game and craft tents. At one, children and parents folded paper square tiles used for ddakji, a schoolyard game where children try to hit their opponents' tiles with their own and flip them over. Fans of the popular "Squid Game" series on Netflix may recall that game. Others learned some basic Korean calligraphy.
Some tried their skills with jegichagi (also known as jengi), a game similar to hacky sack that was also featured in "Squid Game."
Others took part in a mini-lesson in tae kwon do, in which a young instructor showed a small group how to do slow, precise movements that resolve into a fast punch.
Korea Festa will continue Sunday and Monday at the Mahanaim school from 12:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
