Participants at the "Silent Disco" event at the Seoul Arts Center dance in the outdoor plaza of the venue in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 23. SEOUL ARTS CENTER Hundreds of Seoulites young and old put on headsets and bounced to EDM during the "Silent Disco" event held at the Seoul Arts Center (SAC) Sunday evening, dancing through the night as the summer heat ebbed away in the center's outdoor plaza. Participants at the "Silent Disco" event at the Seoul Arts Center dance in the outdoor plaza of the venue in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 23. SEOUL ARTS CENTER Silent disco is nothing new, but when the host is the SAC ? a legacy institution in Korea known for classical music, ballet and traditional performances ? the pairing takes on a different kind of oddness. It is part of the institution's efforts to attract younger people and become more relatable to a broader audience since Chang Han-na, a celebrated conductor and cellist, was appointed president early this year. 모바일 야마토게임하기 Attendees were very aware of that change and welcomed it fully, while jumping along ? silently ? to the EDM blaring not from speakers but individual headsets provided to each participant. "I think that programs like these are a good method to bring out people like me?? I've never been to the SAC before tonight?? and help us get to know the venue better," said a high school student surnamed Park, who had come out with a couple of friends. "I kind of thought of the SAC as mostly for people who know classical music well, but this event seems to be different." Held in the turf-covered plaza of the SAC in Seocho District, southern Seoul, the “Silent Disco“ event nearly sold out in presale with more than 600 people signing up a week before the event, and additional same-day ticket buyers adding to the final number, according to organizers. Participants at the "Silent Disco" event at the Seoul Arts Center dance in the outdoor plaza of the venue in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 23. SEOUL ARTS CENTER 모바일 손오공게임 예시 The crowd for the event was not the usual somberly dressed patrons spotted at the SAC. Young couples, families, groups of older adults and tourists were all gathered at the plaza, each with large black headsets on and decked out in fluorescent concert light sticks around their necks or wrists. Even though a passerby would not hear the music, the crowd jumping in front of the DJs on center stage or those lounging on the turf were all listening to the same songs: remixes of old K-pop, rhythmic beats overlaid on classical songs and more. “I came here today after seeing a post on Instagram for the program,” said Park Kwon-neung, a man in his 20s out on leave from military service. “I love disco and EDM in general, and am looking to get some serious cardio through dancing today.” “I like dancing too, but usually feel embarrassed about going to clubs to dance,” said Park’s friend, Ju Se-a. “But this is much better, and I feel more comfortable because it is held outside, and there are so many people here.” 최신바다게임 Families also found the “Silent Disco” an opportunity for an outing. While young children were not part of the main crowd within the roped-off space in front of the stage, they were jumping on their own or with their parents from the sidelines. Just because the SAC was hosting the "Silent Disco" did not mean its regular patrons were left without a place to go. Families with children, who usually fill the plaza on weekends, also enjoyed this unique event. “We’ve enjoyed other similar silent disco events that were held at parks along the Han River, but this program at the SAC today felt more appropriate to bring our kids to,” said two mothers surnamed Ji and Lee, friends who each had brought their children to the SAC on Sunday and were enjoying the event from a picnic mat. Others had also come to the event at the SAC because they were familiar with silent discos in general, but found that the Sunday one was peculiar because of the wide range of age groups participating. “The mood today is really good, and the audience is quite different from other silent discos,” said Georgia Ciafardo, an Italian resident of Korea who has lived here for 11 years. 모바일 야마토5다운로드게임사이트 “Lately, younger people do not get into classics because it feels distant, but programs like these are good to connect to each other more.” Participants at the "Silent Disco" event at the Seoul Arts Center dance in the outdoor plaza of the venue in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 23. SEOUL ARTS CENTER “I came out today because I wanted to find something to talk about with my grandkids,” said a woman in her 70s surnamed Choi, who was enjoying the music from a bench set a slight way afar from the main crowd. “As you can tell, I am much older than everyone else here. I have two grandsons in college and wanted to get to know them better, and I visit the SAC often for other performances, and thought after looking at the program for this, ‘Why not?’” Participants at the "Silent Disco" event at the Seoul Arts Center dance in the outdoor plaza of the venue in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 23. SEOUL ARTS CENTER 게임몽 Participants like Choi, sitting on the periphery of the main stage; families with younger children enjoying the music from afar; young adults jumping and dancing enthusiastically in front of the main stage with the DJs and curious passersby looking on from the SAC’s main building were all part of the event. And this is just what the center's president herself wanted to see with the program. “We aim to make the SAC more open and accessible, and to offer a wider variety of ways to experience culture and the arts,” said Chang, who was at the “Silent Disco” event dancing along with everyone else. “We want to present the full spectrum of culture while strengthening artistic excellence itself. I hope to lower the barriers to entry for audiences of all ages, regardless of their familiarity with classical music.” The SAC will continue its programs with such ambition from Chang, with a farmer’s market event to be held at the same plaza this coming Sunday, a series of outdoor screenings of the center’s headline performances under the title “SAC on Screen” and a book festival yet to be announced. Information on upcoming events can be found at the SAC’s website or on its official Instagram page. BY LIM JEONG-WON [] s distant,