Critique: North Korean Mass Games Children's Dance

North Korea's Mass Games is an exciting performance that really leaves the viewer in awe no matter how they view the country's politics. While it has been accurately described as "a secretive state," during the Mass Games (which are preformed to honor important state holidays such as the birthdays of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il) the country allows foreign visitors and even broadcasts of the event. (A State of Mind) This is obviously something North Korea is very proud of and wants the world, especially the West, to see.

The video I'll be critiquing is the children's part of the Mass Games located here on YouTube. It covers three dances: the first with young children, the other two with older children. The field is large and unmarked, so the dancers must know from memory their places. Behind the dancers is the "moving picture," a huge mosaic with each square being switched by one of the 12,000 school children that have practiced this daily for months. (A State of Mind) It depicts North Korea's history and communist achievements, and thus provides the perfect backdrop for the floor performance that is about to begin.

After the illumination of the field, we see hundreds of school children run onto the field in lines. Their running is very specific and well-timed; no one is bumping into each other or going slow enough to leave a distracting gap. They then begin to jump for joy, but again in a very calculated manner instead of an unruly, indirect style of a typical child. From the moment these children step out on the field, you can see the aesthetic embraces precision, unison, and symmetry.

The children quickly partner off, each girl with a boy. They again move in unison with every pair on the field, suddenly and directly, throwing in difficult gymnastics moves and always keeping a smile on their faces. There is no room for improvisation, missing a step, or otherwise deviating from the chorography. Any mistake draws the audience's eye away from the spectacle and hurts the group performance.

As the show progresses, we see more of the same: sudden, direct movements accentuating the children's athleticism and gymnastic abilities, all done in perfect unison. This is not to say that the show gets boring or repetitive, just that the actions accomplish similar goals in the piece. The symmetry and precision is always maintained with no child's status being elevated above any other.

To deny the show's beauty or the dancers' talent would be an injustice. I cannot begin to imagine the amount of work put into creating these pieces, gathering the manpower, and pulling them off without a hitch. However, the extreme group focus is disturbing, especially for someone viewing it through an American lens. Granted, I understand that Asian cultures tend to be more collectivist, and that works to society's benefit in many ways. However, the Stalinist communism in North Korea renders the people mere tools of the collective, and this ideology is on full display in the Mass Games. Where North Korea wants me to see its greatness and power, I see dehumanization: the children's actions and outward emotions are the exact same as everyone else on the field with each child as nothing more than pixel in a picture working robotically to maintain said picture.

Additionally, the country is facing a major food shortage, power shortage, incarcerates people in concentration camps, is a participant in on-going hostilities, and has many additional problems, yet they put all their time and effort into huge demonstrations like the Mass Games. As echoed by the perfect performances in the Games themselves, outward appearance is highly valued. If no one sees the faults, they do not officially exist.

The extensive group training and cooperation prepare these children to internalize the communist manifesto and condition them for future military training, another very important aspect of North Korean culture since it is a very small, poor country with the fourth largest standing army in the world. As Kim Jong Il stated himself, "Developing mass gymnastics is important in training children to be fully developed communist people. To be a fully developed communist man, one must acquire a revolutionary ideology, the knowledge of many fields, rich cultural attainments and a healthy and strong physique." (Koryo Tours) From here, it seems like a case of misplaced priorities, injustice, and child abuse presented in the most beautiful, well-coordinated way possible.

Sources:

• Gordon, Daniel. Dir. A State of Mind. 2004. Film.

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