Cham Bumo Gyeong: Episode 261

Cham Bumo Gyeong
Book 9: Activities in the Media, Education and the Arts for the Culture of Heart
Chapter 4: Cultural and Artistic Organizations
Section 1: The Little Angels of Korea, Paragraph 12
Section 2: Section 2. Universal Ballet, Paragraph 05

12  Because the Little Angels now have become a famous performing arts company, they performed at the White House for the Nixon government. They even performed for Queen Elizabeth in Great Britain, and they are set to perform before Japanese government administrators. Now that such things are actually happening, the Little Angels have reached the inner circle of the world of international entertainment, a position of public acclaim. This time they will go to Europe, and Great Britain requested that they visit for two months. Entertainment professionals in Germany, Spain and France are welcoming us and have requested the Little Angels, being well aware their investment will not lose money. The Little Angels will meet with leading performers in Britain and perform for a period of two months. However, because the children cannot perform in Britain for a period longer than 40 days, it was decided that they stay there for that length of time, and then perform for the remaining time in Spain. Our dance company has already prepared a worldwide foundation. Our public performances connect us with an extensive network of people.

13   Ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honor for me to bring the Little Angels as ambassadors for peace and friendship here to the Soviet Union, representing the Republic of Korea. Let me announce that the 40 million citizens of Korea, as well as the Little Angels, would like to convey to you and your homeland the friendship and goodwill of the Republic of Korea. Last night we had the chance to see the world famous Bolshoi Ballet. The Bolshoi Ballet company's elegant beauty and perfect exhibition of skill are simply marvelous. At that moment we deeply felt that in the world of culture and arts there are no boundaries. Art freely goes beyond the walls of nationality, race and doctrine. Even tonight, while watching a performance completely different from the Bolshoi, we feel exactly the same sensation. As those beautiful Korean children show us a world of art and present the beauty of the tradition of the East, we cannot help but feel enraptured. This is evidence of the immense importance of the exchange of culture and the arts in order to advance toward the day of world peace.

14  In May 1998, the Little Angels are going to North Korea. That is completely in accord with my plan. In March 1998, starting with Washington DC, Universal Ballet held performances in 12 cities in Canada and the United States. However, the fact that the Little Angels are going to North Korea means they stand on the side of Heaven. If South Korea is a plus and North Korea a minus, then Father will unify the plus and the minus. Nobody else can do that, not even national governments. Father has found the top specialists in eastern folk dance and western classical ballet, and thus created the best ballet company and the best Little Angels, who can represent the art of the East and the West. When they perform with excellence in the East and the West, I envision that one united world of arts and culture will emerge.

15  The Little Angels gave a celebratory performance in Pyongyang, for the delegations at the South-North Summit Conference. They performed after preparing for only ten days, not even two weeks. This is like a dream. This is work that the government is not able to do even with ten years of preparation. The Pyongyang Youth Student Arts Group came to South Korea from North Korea. If the Little Angels did not exist, how would that have happened? Even in North Korea they understand how this works, and they thanked me. Then they said that they hope that I take the lead in bringing about North-South unification.

They sent a piece of art created using five colors of stone dust expressing "gratitude and congratulations" for the performance of the Little Angels. That picture will last for tens of thousands of years.

The Little Angels Arts School  

True Parents held the groundbreaking ceremony for the Little Angels Arts School on March 27, 1973. The school’s purpose is to educate artists and provide advanced training for the members of the Little Angels dance troupe. That year on December 1, the Little Angels Arts School received approval as an accredited institution, and on March 5, 1974 the school opened with the founding philosophy of "Love Heaven, Love People, Love Your Country." The first graduation ceremony was held February 8, 1977, and on February 16 the school's name was changed to Sunhwa Arts School.

16  Communism was the principal axis of ideological worldviews, and even if the democratic world replaces communism it will follow suit in completely falling apart. Because of that, people are asking fundamental questions concerning humankind including "What is love?" and "Where do emotions come from?" In reality, answering these questions is not difficult. They are properly answered through culture and the arts. The world of music is the path that impacts the multitudes within the shortest time, and it is able to provide new stimulation for the orientation of young people. This is the role of culture and the arts. That is why I created the Little Angels Performing Arts School in 1974.

17  The Little Angels Performing Arts School was created so that we could cooperate and spread the arts as a component of culture that connects the ideals of the Unification Church to the world. The educational objective of this school is simple. Its philosophy of education is to connect all humankind, by loving Heaven, loving people and loving your country. The school is famous all across Korea, and is known even throughout Japan and the rest of Asia.

18  Studying is difficult. But by studying you should be able to take into consideration the problems of life and the path of a son or daughter of God. As you study, you should be able to feel as if you are hearing the voices of our brothers and sisters who died without being able to know whether God exists or not. While studying all night long, you need to work hard with a heart that calls out, "Tomorrow you will find a day of hope, so please wait for me until then." You must study with greater enthusiasm. 

If you Little Angels study with that heart, you will come to represent the world, having built a royal palace for children, for young adults, the middle aged, and finally for the elderly. This means that the time will come when children, young adults, middle aged and elderly people, people of all ages throughout the world, will respect those who have graduated from the Little Angels as if they were royalty. You will create God's sons and daughters of love. There is nothing for which to be more grateful. Because what a king or queen does is to love people, all people will remember you and love you as royalty. When this happens, you Little Angels will have to take responsibility for the world.

19  We are operating on a worldwide scale, and this is definitely true for the Little Angels Arts School. When I said that we will send the Little Angels to America, everyone thought it was ridiculous. We trained the first team for their performance in the United States. After three months of training we had them perform in America. While the children were sleeping, they were being taught in their dreams. They were coached by the spirit world. We did not have an assembly hall. At first, we did not have the Little Angels School or a place where they could practice. A little later, even though we had no money whatsoever, we built the Little Angels Performing Arts Center.

Section 2. Universal Ballet

Background

With the goal of creating a world culture of heart, and an ideal world of peace through cultural arts, on May 12, 1984, True Parents decided to establish Universal Ballet. Founded with the vision of "Heavenly Art Creating a World of Beauty," Universal Ballet is Korea's oldest privately funded professional ballet company. Since its first performance of "Cinderella," the company has grown to become Asia's best-known ballet company, having given more than 1,800 performances in 16 countries in addition to Korea.  

1  Ballet is a western dance form, and the West is a Christian cultural realm. The Christian cultural realm is the culture of the bride. And this bride has fervently desired to make the Lord her bridegroom and settle in the family and the nation. The bride longs for the bridegroom. It is my hope that you can express your resolution to represent this union of the bride and bridegroom, that you can resolve the historical sorrow of God, and that you can dance the dance of liberation to move the entire universe. That is why I gave this company the name "Universal."

2  Western society, the Christian cultural realm, considers ballet the most refined art form. This art attained its place of supremacy in Russia. I founded Universal Ballet in 1984. I called for training and preparation to make it the best company in the world. The Little Angels folk ballet that I founded in 1962 has attained a position of eminence in the world of eastern art and culture, and Universal Ballet has done the same in the world of western art and culture. This is a surprising historical fact, an accomplishment that will be praised in the future. In this way I laid a cornerstone that will stand forever in the new world culture.

3  I have invisible strength. I founded Universal Ballet in the field of the arts. The western world is proud of its culture of ballet, and I am standing at its forefront. Western people have their cultural art forms and they are proud of them, but if you were to ask whether those art forms include hopeful messages or deeper meaning which will lead to a brighter future, you would find that they do not. Along with the rest of western culture, western ballet is gradually declining. It does not have a spiritual foundation and vision. Because it has developed an individualistic tendency, it lacks substance, and the traditional spirit of ballet has vanished. 

I realized this and I took the lead. Although our race, religion, customs and nationalities are different, I am transcending all of that and bringing the fruits of civilizations together, establishing a new tradition. Now that this is plain for all to see, 14 years after I founded the ballet company in 1984, the western world is following my lead. From both the spiritual and the cultural viewpoints, we have ascended to the highest position.

4  When I went out into the world, I had no doubts whatsoever. My mind was clear. All kinds of people came and went, and all sorts of incidents took place. Nonetheless, I rushed forward toward one single goal. I prepared everything for you to develop. All preparations have been made for you to enter the world's league of advanced nations. The existence of Universal Ballet attests to this. You have no idea how touching the story behind the company's founding was. It was so moving that The New York Times covered it with three full-page articles. Such a touching story is unparalleled in history. We made great leaps forward from there, and Universal Ballet has become a leading ballet company.

5  I founded two companies for dance and musical performance, the Little Angels and Universal Ballet. Both in the West and the East, I have eminent performing arts groups that can sing and dance, bringing joy. To reach that level, performers have to practice over and over again, continually. Only a person who practices the same motion unceasingly hundreds and thousands of times can become a champion.

I saw that the traditional spirit of ballet had faded because America and the free world had become an empire of individualism. However, because Universal Ballet has attached great importance to establishing and maintaining a vertical tradition, and persevered through a difficult course, it is now a top class company.

That does not mean that you can now be arrogant. This is only the beginning. The whole world is waiting for you. Hence, to become the best, you need to seek perfection through continuous practice. If you do so, you will have an amazing foundation for the future. Dance, as part of the world of art, is a display of culture and spirit. We will come to own the arts, both eastern and western. The Little Angels represents the eastern arts, and Universal Ballet represents the western arts.