Above, a Korean proverb quoted in "Chunghyang," 1 of 2 Pansori I saw this week. Pansori is an astounding Korean art form. A single storyteller, accompanied by a single drummer, sings, talks, dances, and acts out a legend. Performances last from 2 to 6 hours. Pansori originated close to 800 years ago, but fell into political disfavor, and there are only 5 full-length Pansori known to exist today. It's hard to overestimate the power of the connection the performer makes with the audience, who shout out comments and encouragement, which seems to be directed both at the singer and at the characters in the story. The singer and the drummer form a bond during the performance, too, the drummer, like the audience, expressing in single-word comments his feelings on the action and the performance. The percussion is syncopated with the singing, and it and the shouted comments have the same effect as the "Amen" called from the pews to punctuate a church service in an evangelical church. The music is beautiful, accessible in a way Chinese opera (which I love) is not, to westerners hearing it for the first time. It's not often you get to sit and have someone tell you a story, and in such an astoundingly beautiful way. This is as far as I know the first time Pansori have been performed in the US, but "Chunghyang" is partially performed in a movie of the legend, called, yes, "Chunghyang." If you get a chance, go see it -- you'll be glad you did.