The Fragrance of Spring - South Korean Performers in Alabama

"The Fragrance of Spring," a delightful performance was presented tonight at the historic Davis Theatre on the campus of Troy State University - Montgomery.  Sena Son, Director of Comprehensive Arts for AKEEP (Alabama - Korea Education and Economic Partnership) planned a "beautiful blend of Korean and Western musical instruments, traditional Korean Dance and Opera storytelling known as Pansori."

The story was inspired by The Tale of Chun-Hyang, a musical love story from the Joseon Dynasty, popular in Korea. The multidisciplinary performers traveled from the Republic of Korea to share their art and culture with Americans. The conclusion featured a happy celebration with audience members recruited to dance on stage!

A second performance is scheduled for January 22 at 6:00 p.m. at the Opelika Center for Performing Arts.

North and South Korea Exemplify Olympic Spirit!

From Lausanne, Switzerland -- IOC officials met with delegations representing North and South Korea. IOC President Thomas Bach announced today that athletes from both Nations will jointly participate in the 2018 Winter Games. Athletes from the two Koreas will march together under a Korean unification flag during Opening Ceremonies next month. 

Korean athletes and unification flag

Bach said the IOC had been working for several years to address the "special situation" of having the 2018 Winter Olympics on the Korean Peninsula. North and South Korean athletes will jointly compete as a "Korean" Women's Ice Hockey team represented by the unification flag. In addition, North Korean athletes will compete in five sports, i.e., ice hockey, figure skating, short track speedskating, cross-country skiing and alpine skiing.

Source: CNN.com

2017-18 World Para Nordic Skiing World Cup

Reposted from www.paralympic.org

The 2017-18 season is a pivotal one for Para Nordic skiers, with all events acting as qualification and preparation for the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games.

Three World Cups featuring both biathlon and cross-country races will take place in this Paralympic year across two continents.

The season spans three months, beginning in Canmore, Canada, with the first World Cup from 9-17 December.

Skiers return to action in Europe in 2018, with the second World Cup in Oberried, Germany from 20-28 January, before the final event of the season at Vuokatti, Finland, from 2-10 February.

Those who qualify for the Winter Games will then have one month off before the action kicks off in PyeongChang.

World Cup champions out to defend their titles this season include Germany’s Martin Fleig and Ukraine’s Iurii Utkin in biathlon, and Austria’s Carina Edlinger and Ukraine’s Oleksandra Kononova

How does one become a paralympian? Watch Oksana Masters share her story