The Arirang Mass Games are the most beautiful (and controversial) choreographed performance I have ever seen. An acrobatic, dance and gymnastic show involving up to 100,000 participants in Pyongyang’s 150,000-seater May Day Stadium. Thousands of artists, gymnasts, martial art experts, dancers and acrobats join the stage and perform acrobatic games with music and colors. They’re held everyyear, and this year in August I joined the crowds in the May Day Stadium of Pyongyang.
Stunning to the eyes, it’s just too beautiful to watch and magic, the music, colours, background noise, the sound of the thousands of boards flapping in the background forming stunning drawings and images.
The Mass Games are a mix of performing gymnasts with a background made of other 30 thousands of children holding cards, see the background images that change every time?
The cards are flipped in such synchronised way that they create the mosaic images you can see in the back. Before everything begins, the cards are flipped creating a sourround noise throughout the stadium, creating lots of excitement.
Its purpose
Each performance has basically two meanings: one is to depict important moments of the (North) Korean history such as the Korean War, the Signing of Armistice in 1953
Another purpose of the Arirang Mass Games is to show pride of their national potential in every aspect. Artistic abilities, the birth of Kim Il-Sung, red coloured flowers symbolising working class, their technology progress, armament and military capability, and their neverending hatred for the Imperialism.
North Korea also shares the dream of the peninsula’s reunification
I took photos of the event but they won’t do justice. However, the feeling and exaltation I had while I was watching, so many movements, athletes flying on top of our heads are hard to describe.
This is a very short video I made with my phone:
