Why Do Pansori Audiences Call Out ‘Eolssu!’?

If you hear someone in the audience call out “Eolssu!” during a pansori performance in Korea, you might wonder whether they are interrupting. That short call may be chuimsae—encouragement for the singer. Rather than a performance heard only in silence, you may be witnessing a conversation between the stage and the audience. Pansori is storytelling by one singer, the sorikkun, accompanied by a drummer called the gosu. Singing is woven together with spoken narration, or aniri, and expressive gestures, or ballim. Even without a cast of actors taking turns, changes in voice and expression can help you notice when a different character enters the story. The gosu does more than provide accompaniment. Calls of encouragement and admiration help the drummer and singer respond to each other. Listeners, too, can express their feelings with short calls such as “Jota!” (“Great!”) or “Eolssigu!”—an exclamation of encouragement. Chuimsae is one way to respond to a performance, not a test with one correct answer. This does not mean you must shout at every performance. The volume and style of chuimsae can vary with the music, venue and mood. For your first visit, try listening for when the drummer and other audience members respond. It is worth making sure a call does not cover the singer’s words or song and suits the feeling of the scene. At a workshop or a performance with explanations, you could ask “추임새를 같이 해도 되나요?”—“May I join in with chuimsae?” When the host invites participation, try a short call. If you still feel shy, simply listening and nodding is fine. You do not need to prove yourself with a loud voice or polished pronunciation on your first visit. Even if unfamiliar Korean makes the story hard to follow, why not begin with the rise and fall of the voice, the flow of the drum and the movements of the hand holding the fan? Checking beforehand for a synopsis or subtitles may help. Not every performance offers explanations or translations, so read its visitor information. In your country, do people clap only after a performance, or also offer encouragement during it? At your first pansori show, would you listen quietly or try a short “Jota!”? Share your country’s ways of cheering at performances in your own language on KFANZIP. Discovering our different responses can be a cultural journey, too. 💜 Original AI-generated staged illustration. The people and venue are fictional; this is not a photograph of a real performance or a review of a specific show. National Gugak Center Dictionary · Chuimsae https://www.gugak.go.kr/ency/topic/view/1732 National Institute of Korean History, History Net · Pansori Epic Chant https://contents.history.go.kr/front/tz/view.do?levelId=tz_b48 National Archives of Korea, Korea Through Records · Pansori https://theme.archives.go.kr/next/koreaOfRecord/Pansori.do Pansori Society · Chuimsae https://www.pansori.or.kr/subList/32000006343