Prominent leaders from the global performing arts industry have gathered in Seoul this week to attend the 26th Congress of the International Society of Performing Arts or ISPA.
While ISPA convenes a regular meeting in New York every January, the summer congress each year is held in June in a different city around the world.
And this year it is being held in Seoul, under the theme "Cultural Shifts."


[Interview : David Baile, Chief Executive Officer
ISPA ] "By 'Cultural Shifts' what we mean is the shift in focus from west to east, the shift in new technologies, how art is created and how art is transmitted, and also just a shift into a more of a global society."

Attendance at this year's event is the highest in ISPA's 60-year history, in terms of the number of countries the delegates are from.
Around 400 performing arts professionals, including producers, theater managers, and cultural policy makers, from some 35 countries are participating in the four-day meeting.


[Interview : Alison Friedman, Founder & Creative Director
Ping Pong Productions
] "I found ISPA very helpful because there were so many experienced members, and so I could learn from them, I could find my mentors. And so I found ISPA extremely useful as a young arts manager and producer in trying to develop."


[Reporter : Park Ji-won ed:jenny
jiwonpark@arirang.co.kr] "Since the international society was founded in 1949, it is only the third time that the congress has been held in Asia, following Sinapore in 2003, and Hong Kong in 2006."'

Features of Korean performing arts and culture have been introduced to global attendees, through conference sessions and showcases.
With its rich cultural traditions and rapidly changing contemporary arts scene, the host country Korea, which has some 600 performance venues and some 50-thousand performances per year, suggests new possibilities for the global performing arts.


[Interview : Hwang Byung-ki, Composer & Korean Traditional Music Master
Seoul 2012 ISPA Congress Keynote Speaker] "In this multicultural society, respecting differences in diverse culture is the most important quality for the global future of arts and culture."

This international event runs until Saturday, in hopes of inspiring performing arts professionals to create more exciting performances, reflecting the cultural shifts in our ever changing world.
Park Ji-won, Arirang News.

Reporter : jiwonpark@arirang.co.kr