Chuseok – it's a term that gets thrown around a lot in the K-pop world around this time of the year, even if some of us fans aren't actually present in Korea. As the major autumn harvest festival celebrated not only in Korea but across Asia as well, it should come as no surprise that we see this cultural tradition permeating into the States as well: last weekend, the City of the Angels held the Los Angeles Korean Festival in their Koreatown, and on October 9 and 10, New York City followed suit at the Randall Island Park. With its obvious cultural roots, NYC's Korean Harvest and Folk Festival brings a taste of Korea to the Big Apple each October, never failing to bring authentic dishes and artists including the Wonder Girls and the Brown Eyed Girls from the homeland. What made this kpop-related event particularly special was that it was not simply focused on mainstream pop music of today, but also highlighted other exhibitions of Korean culture, from tae kwon do to buchaechum, the traditional fan dance. As the first singer to grace the stage, Brian Joo was able to feast off the excitement of an energetic and enthusiastic crowd. The singer performed fun tracks including In My Head and also slowed things down with a laidback remix of My Girl and the ballad Gaseum Apado. Despite the hodgepodge of individuals in the audience, it was clear that many Brian Joo fans were present in the crowd who screamed along to the lyrics of each song. Between numbers, Brian chatted to his audience in fluent Korean and English about his career, wholeheartedly telling aspiring performers in the audience to go for their dreams out of passion instead of fame and fortune. Although many fans were disappointed with his relatively short repertoire at this festival, Brian Joo certainly delivered a strong presentation of himself as a performer of impressive vocal pipes, slick dance moves and genuine passion for his career. There is little doubt that Son Dambi was the most anticipated act of the night. Although her performance didn't come round until the very end of the festival, the wait ended up being worth it as she proved to be just as talented live as on screen. Dressed in a jewel-encrusted top and ruffled black skirt, Son Dambi stepped onto the stage with a small entourage of sequined back-up dancers ready to show off some of her biggest hits. The crowd got to enjoy a mini Son Dambi hit fest with performances including Crazy (with the iconic chair of course!), Talk, Queen and Saturday Night and, as with Brian Joo and other performers of the evening, ecstatically sang along with each track. Even if you hadn't heard of Son Dambi prior to the festival, there's no way you could walk away without being impressed with her polished dance movements or the catchy choruses of each of her tunes. Check out the recap below! (Note: This recap does not have Brian Joo's performances, but we've got another video coming soon of Brian Joo's performance at Circle Nightclub from the previous night!) [gallery columns="4" orderby="title"] Full Gallery Photography and Videography by: Matt Marasigan