Culture ministry holds Dream Festival camps for children and adolescents

The culture ministry said Wednesday that its Dream Festival will bring together about 800 young orchestra and dance members in Pyeongchang as part of a shift to camps tailored to each artistic genre.

The ministry has recast the third-year festival into specialized orchestra, dance and theatre camps. It is holding the orchestra and dance camp in Pyeongchang from Aug. 5 to 7, followed by a theatre camp in Miryang from Aug. 12 to 14. The ministry said the change will enhance the specialization of arts education.

The Pyeongchang program at the Alpensia Music Tent brings together five Dream Orchestras and 13 Dream Dance Troupes. It includes exchanges and expert workshops, and a joint performance on Aug. 6; Just Jerk will lead a dance workshop on the opening evening. Cultural planner Lee Seon-cheol will head the camp, with performance planner Jeong Min-kyung as director. The joint show will open with the ballet performance Dream Land and include the theme song My Tomorrow, performed by all participants.

Miryang's camp will bring together about 150 children and adolescents from three Dream Theatre groups, with actor Oh Man-seok as general director. The camp's joint performance will feature The Legend of Children Who Became Taegeuk Butterflies, based on a Miryang folktale.

Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young will visit the Pyeongchang camp on Aug. 6 to encourage members who have gathered from across the country. "Artistic activities in childhood and adolescence are a valuable opportunity to build confidence and self-esteem and learn the meaning of cooperation and consideration," he said. "The ministry will steadily expand the number of hubs where more children can join the Dream Arts Troupes and actively support the groups' stable growth in their regions."