Type: Fake Culture
Good for: saying you watched it
50
Worth it?
40
Authenticity
50
Uniqueness
60
Fun
Imagine someone watched “Stomp” and said, “Let’s slap some kimchi on this and call it ours!”
Voila, Nanta was born.
Sure, it’s a non-verbal performance, which means you don’t need a Korean translator.
You’ll find a mixed bag of awesomeness and cringiness. One minute you’re like, “Whoa, cool knife skills,” and the next you’re grimacing at slapstick antics that even Curly Howard would’ve deemed too much.
And oh boy, they LOVE to drag a clueless foreigner onstage for some goofy shenanigans—because nothing’s funnier than cultural confusion, apparently.
But here’s the kicker: Nanta inspired its own line of knockoffs. It’s the bootleg of a bootleg, people! Sad that Seoul’s tourism gurus felt the need to push this poultry of a performance, as if Seoul doesn’t have its own rich tapestry to showcase.
To clarify, it is a little fun, especially if you have kids. But try to avoid sitting near an aisle, or you’ll get humiliated on stage.
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