I Watched Arirang in Pyongyang

The time was September 30， 2009; the venue was May 1 Stadium in Pyongyang. I at last satisfied my yearning and curiosity， for I watched the legendary DPRK gala show “Arirang”.

The gala debuted in 2002 in Pyongyang. 100，000 performers including artists， athletes， students and children brought about this spectacular success. Since then， it has been a must on key occasions such as national celebrations or entertainment for important visiting guests. It is more than an image show of DPRK. It has brought economic return. In 2007， “Arirang” was recorded in Guinness Records.

I did not run into the gala show by chance. I had planned to see the show scheduled for the end of September. The guide told us that we were very lucky. The first show of 2009 had been staged on August 10th. And what we would see was the new version since its debut five years before.

After supper， we set out by bus to the stadium on the Taedong River. On our way to the stadium we caught a glimpse of the urban scenery of Pyongyang: trees， lawns， flowers. The entrance to the stadium shone as if it were daytime.

The stadium is a colossal architecture for an audience of 150，000. Since its completion on May 1， 1989， it has served as the venue for many historical moments. This landmark of Pyongyang is the largest sports stadium in Asia and the second largest in the world. The 25，000-m2 compound has 80 gates for entrance and exit. The stadium has eight tiers of grandstands. The roof is composed of 16 semi spheres.

One side of the stadium was filled with local spectators and international tourists like us. On the bleachers on the opposite of the stadium were participating students of the show: they held components of large-sized pictures. As they flipped their individual components， the large-size background scenes changed in sync with the show on the ground. They did a marvelous job and made no mistakes at all. The overall effect was amazing.

With the national tune “Arirang”， the show began. Thousands of women danced. Television images showed on a colossal display screen. Polychromatic laser lights were dazzling and moving at a fantastic speed. The whole audience was soon thrilled. I was busy taking pictures， becoming aware that “Arirang” is more than an entertainment show. It is also about publicity and commemoration. It displays singing and dancing， acrobatics， gymnastics， and folk arts， reflecting the essences of the Korean national art. The most marvelous part of the show was the performers in the sports ground. The choreography was full of innovative and unexpected changes. Such a spectacular show is really rare.

I ran into a problem while taking pictures. As my seat was a little bit way from the center， I moved down to an empty row of seats just below the rostrum in the center. I found myself being watched curiously by DPRK audience， but I paid no attention. I knew I was out of my way to take pictures there， but I just wanted to take pictures. Then I knew someone was by me. I just clicked away thinking I would stop if told to. I was stopped politely by a pretty girl in blue uniform. I explained to her that I knew I was forbidden to record the show but the Canon in my hand was not advanced enough to take any video record. I was left alone.

The gala show lasted more than an hour. It had four acts with thirteen scenes， sandwiched by a prelude and an epilogue. The four acts highlight four themes: nation， army， happiness， and national reunification. The final scene is prosperity and revitalization. The gala came to the end when thousands burst into “Ode to General Kim Il-Sung”. We stood up and applauded for the unusual visual feast never seen anywhere else in the world. We applauded to express our appreciation and best wishes to those who were in the gala. □