In the 2012 MBC K-Pop Festival, the music program aired on MBC on December 31, 2012, Su-ji, one member of the famous idol girl group, miss A, was asked, “You just became 20 years old. So what do you want to do as an adult?” Su-ji frankly replied, “I want to go to the club sometime soon.” Indeed, many teens pick going clubbing as one of the most things they want to do when they turn into adults.
However, most of the indoor clubs have lots of limitations due to foul air of smoke and confined space. The youth visit the club expecting enjoyable entertainments but often become disappointed with poor environments. Now, there is a solution: World DJ Festival(WDJF) where young people can freely dance, sing, and play in fresh and spacious outdoor fields. In addition to that, participants of WDJF not only watch DJs’ performances of various genres, but get opportunities to take part in diverse programs prepared by staff members of WDJF.
New Type of Clubbing Culture in WDJF
WDJF first started in 2007 as one of the main programs in Hi-Seoul Festival and presented its 7th festival in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi-do for two nights and three days from May 17 to 19. The 7th WDJF consisted of four main stages: the biggest main stage, two domes and a silent disco zone. Songs played in the stages were primarily electronic music and the participants could enjoy a variety of music genres such as trend, house, dubstep, rock and etc. Ryoo Jae-hyun, Executive Director of the 7th WDJF said, “We presented the slogan ‘The viewer rate 0 percent, the participator rate 100 percent’, meaning everyone in the festival zone can be a participatory performer, not just an audience. People not just watch the performances but play and dance with DJs’ music.”
Besides, WDJF ambitiously put forward another program called Festival Town before the night time. Any individual or group that had previously applied could set up a booth within the field and performed any activities they wanted to do such as belly dance, body painting, and hair dying.
Become an Artist Yourself: Artistaff
The slogan “The viewer rate 0 percent, the participator rate 100 percent” applied to the staff members as well. The 21th century RPM(21CRPM), the festival planning groups which consisted of 150 college students, planned the programs and directed the festival themselves. 21CRPM were not just staff members but artists who played a leading role in directing and planning the programs. The groups were often called “Artistaff”, the word which combines artist and staff.
Oh So-whi, a Senior in the Department of Japanese Language and Culture at Chungang University was one member of 21CRPM. She talked about her experience, saying, “I belonged to the Culture Planning Sector and the main theme of my group was to give a “healing” to those tired of loud and busy crowds. That was why we performed yoga and practiced the tea ceremony in the middle of festival. For several months until the D-day, we had regular feedbacks to improve our performances and also held meetings to discuss our roles in the festival.”
WDJF, to be Continued
The 7th WDJF ended and the next year’s festival is again ready to be held. WDJF aims to create a festival of diverse cultural grounds where the youth in the all over the world can take part in. Executive Director Ryoo said, “WDJF is not just about music; it is the place where arts and culture coexist and flourish. For the next festival, I hope to have more active interchanges with people all over the world.”