Jultagi Tightrope Walking

What separates jultagi from tightrope acts elsewhere is that it is a talking performance. The walker, the eoreum, works a rope about three metres up while a ground clown, the eorittwangdae, trades jokes and questions with him, and musicians play alongside; between the acrobatic feats - sitting, lying, crossing legs, bouncing, somersaults, dozens of named moves in the full repertoire - the walker sings, mimics and comments, often satirically on whoever is in charge. So it is closer to a variety act with an audience it answers than to a display of balance. It was court and market entertainment in Joseon times, nearly died out in the twentieth century, and survives through a designated holder and his students. UNESCO inscribed it in 2011. Performances are outdoors, weather permitting, and much of the comedy is lost without Korean.

The main sights

• The talking walker - jokes and songs traded with the ground clown.
• The named moves - dozens of feats performed along the rope.
• The live musicians - accompaniment throughout.
• The satire - improvised comment on the audience and the powerful.

When to go

Spring to autumn, at folk villages and festivals - outdoor performances are weather-dependent. The Korean Folk Village near Suwon runs it on a schedule.

Before you go

Not a place but a performance, and half of it is verbal - without Korean you get the acrobatics and miss the act. Cancelled in rain and wind.

Nearby

The Korean Folk Village at Yongin and Namsangol in Seoul are the reliable venues.