• CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
Korean officials from Andong, South Korea arrived in Bacolod City for a four-day benchmarking trip.
Bacolod Councilor Em Ang, chairman of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on History, Culture, and Arts, welcomed City Council chairman Keon Gi Ik, and city council members Kim Ho Suk, Kim Jeaong Rim, and Yuan, from Bacolod’s sister city Andong upon their arrival in the city.
Ang said the visiting councilors are members of the Arts and Culture Committee and would like to exchange ideas regarding mask festivals.
Andong is best known for its Andong Mask Dance Festival, a famous autumn festival which is an exciting dance festival, mainly focusing on various masks from around the world. It is held every September in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, she said.
Ang said the festival has its roots in ancient shamanistic beliefs and practices, believed to have originated during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
“Our MassKara Festival dancers have performed a number of times in the past in the Andong Mask Dance Festival,” she added.*
