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Little Angels pay tribute to war veterans

It’s a mammoth and very expensive exercise. The Little Angels, the cute young troupe of dancing girls sponsored by the Unification Church, are touring all 16 of the UN countries who supplied combat troops to defend the Republic of Korea against the invading DPRK forces 60 years ago, displaying once again Korea’s gratitude to the UN war veterans. They have already covered the Americas – the US, Canada and Columbia – and 2 October saw the start of the tour of Europe and Africa. From the UK to Turkey, from Belgium to South Africa via Ethiopia, it’s a gruelling trip for the young girls.

The programme had welcome messages from an impressive roster of VIPs – Prince Michael of Kent, David Cameron, John Major and Boris Johnson, and the performance opened with a video and speeches reminding the audience of the sacrifice made by UN forces 60 years ago and the dramatic progress made by the Republic since then.

Little Angels Fan Dance

But people had come to see the young peace ambassadors, and they were soon on stage performing their range of traditional dances, including most people’s favourites, the fan dance (above) and the flower dance (below).

Little Angels Flower Dance

For those who find Korean traditional music difficult, the performance on the drums was probably more accessible:

Little Angels drum dance

The show ended with some numbers with a more international outlook. During their UK visit in 1971, the Little Angels performed in front of the Queen, and they were fascinated by the Changing of the Guard ceremony. This inspired them to create a dance mimicking their actions, with the Angels marching on stage like toy soldiers.

The dancers then showed their versatility by re-forming as a vocal ensemble, singing Arirang (what Korean concert would be complete without an Arirang encore?) Greensleeves, a Swiss yodelling song as well as the British and Korean national anthems.

The show finished by inviting war veterans on stage to receive a special medal from the Little Angels – a fitting tribute from the young people of Korea.

Little Angels

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2 thoughts on “Little Angels pay tribute to war veterans

  1. They may be cute but we should not forget that they are sponsored by the exceedingly creepy Moonies. They also sang for the veterans in Seoul a few days ago (about 30 girls aged approx 7 to 15 and one boy…)

  2. I wasn’t really paying attention during the video (which I’m sorry to say had me reaching for the sick-bag) or the speeches, but I think they said this particular tour was also part-funded by the Korean government. I think they also said that Rev Moon was personally contributing $10mn. According to Wikipedia (not that I always believe them), the Unification Church’s business interests (the Tongil Group) are not in robust health.

    We don’t seem to hear much about the Unification Church nowadays and I know very little about their beliefs and practices – though their name and their rhetoric imply ambitious aims. They were more in the news when I was growing up in the 70s – though I can’t remember why. Was it the brainwashing stories? These days it’s the Scientologists who seem to be more prominent. I’ve never knowingly spoken to a Moony, but the L Ron Hubbard groupie I spoke to in their Tottenham Court Road office was seriously creepy.

    Regardless of the nature of the sponsoring organisation, I know at least one former Little Angel, and she is a very charming Buddhist.

    On a separate note, I was puzzled to see some Korean yodellers on the programme for the Kingston Korean Festival this year. Sadly (?) I had to leave the event before they were on stage. But the Little Angels (particularly their two soloists) proved themselves to be very proficient yodellers.

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