Welcome, everybody, to Saturday Night at the BCT. Yeah, that's right. Give it up for Saturday Night
at the BCT. Yes, we are here. We are together at the 33rd Annual Lotus World Music and Arts Festival
here at the BCT. My name is Maya. I'm your emcee for tonight. Yeah, thank you. Woo, yes. Yeah,
here we go. I'm very excited.
Take a moment, please, and locate the exit nearest you, just in case. There's some here, and there are
a couple there, and then there's some upstairs. So take a minute and make sure that you know where the
nearest exit is to you. Want to give a shout out to some really special folks that help make this festival happen.
And that is the hundreds, and we mean hundreds, of volunteers who give their time, talent, and energy
to make the Lotus Festival happen, yes. From driving the artist shuttle to selling tickets and wristbands,
running the festival store, keeping people from taking alcohol out into the street, moving the back
line around. Volunteers do all the work.
the heavy lifting that makes the festival happen. So let's give it up for the folks who are here at 8 a.m.
and stay here till 2 a.m. to make Lotus happen, our volunteers. They're all wearing shirts like this.
So if you see one, tell them thanks. And if you're interested in volunteering for Lotus, you can get
more information on the website. Lotus is powered by
an amazing cadre of volunteers, and you want to be part of it. Lotus is also powered by some sponsorship
money, and we want to thank folks who support the festival. First, the Lotus Scene Savers. You will
see their names on the back of the program. These folks contributed dollars to help bring the Lotus
Sixth Street tent back.
as well as supporting some of the musicians that are here at this year's festival. So big thanks to
the Lotus Scene Savers. Also want to thank the IU Arts and Humanities Council. They have helped make
this year's festival happen as well as Blockhouse Studios. Then there are some main stage sponsors,
some humans as well as some organizations we want to thank. Bloomington Roots,
Freethink Apparel, IU Credit Union, Laura Plummer and Michael Nelson, Mailpack Savings, Old National
Bank, the Farr Center for Contemporary Arts, Iconographic, Ellis Tents and Events, LLC Clear Sound Design,
Luann Holiday for crying out loud, as well as our spotlight sponsors, the Lotus Studio of Perennial
Arts, Hideout Press,
Oliver Winery, the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, Limestone Post Baked, and Ava's Waste Removal.
And one last reminder, after tonight's show, head over to Walnut and Kirkwood on the south side of the
square, because the Lotus Parade is back. So grab a flat. Yeah, there we go.
Get out there, join the parade, maybe we'll stop some traffic, maybe we won't, but anyway, get out there
and enjoy the Lotus Festival as well as the Lotus Parade. Again, it's back. So now, enough from me,
we're gonna now, I have the joy of welcoming our next musical ensemble to the stage. Insun Park is one
of the few female masters of the Gangneung Mask Dance.
a tradition traditionally historically dominated by men. She reimagines age old songs continuously exploring
new creative directions to introduce this ancient art designated as part of Korea's national intangible
heritage to new audiences. From what we heard last night, expect something unlike anything you've ever seen.
a stunning voice, charismatic stage presence, and a versatile, ass-kicking rock band. And now, without
further delay, please join me in welcoming Ensign Park and Generals to the stage.
Nice to meet you, Bloomington. We are Inseong Park and Generals from South Korea. Okay, let's go, Bloomington.
Life is too short, right? Life is too short. Enjoy tonight!
Okay? Okay!
Yeah.
Do you want it spicy? Do you want it hot? Do you know Gochujang? Gochujang is Korean traditional hot
sauce. Our next song is called Gochujang.
This time, sorry, sorry. Yeah, we have a practice, yeah. Okay, are you ready? I want it. Two, one, two,
and I want it. One, two, three, four. One, two, three. So spicy. Okay, one more time.
Amazing. Okay, one more time, one more time. Are you ready? Okay, let's go. One, two, three. One, two,
three. So spicy. Okay, one more time. So spicy. Okay, amazing, amazing singers. Okay, let's go.
It's time to change into a new character. So while she's changing, let me introduce our next song. And
you know, we came all the way from South Korea. With no crew, just a bed. So the only problem is we
have no one to take pictures or videos of us. So now,
You are our crew. So please take a lot of pictures and videos and share them on Instagram. Don't forget
to tag us. Yeah, he is like our new crew. Oh my god. Thank you handsome guy. Thank you. Thank you.
Trust me, you are going to want to take picture during next song. In next song, we will bring a female
character from traditional Korean mask dance. Her name is Somu, S-O-M-U, Somu. She is a young shaman,
and she has bad boyfriend. Come on, this is our national heritage.
Her boyfriend treated her very badly but she cannot talk back at all. She cannot say anything because
she has very, very small mouth. Look over there. Isn't she pretty? So that's why we made this song,
to give her a voice.
And our next song is called Black Soma. Soma? Are you ready? Okay, let's go.
This song is called Health and Happiness. It is a dance piece we sing health and happiness for everyone
here. Okay? Okay. Let's take a deep breath together, please.
more songs. The next song is Korean folk song medley. Thank you Blooming Town.
So good.