Ivar Zantinge is working on my to-do list (2 weeks ago)

In my opinion there is nothing quite so fascinating as North-Korea (officially: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea or DPRK) and its leader Kim Jung-Il. If it weren’t for the mass killings and starvation of its people, the mind-boggling suppression and the nuclear threat, it would all be very funny. Now and then, I will cover some of North-Korea’s and Kim’s excesses on this blog. Today: mass gymnastics, huge staged performances of which Wikipedia says:

Mass […] gymnastics are a form of gymnastics in which large numbers of performers take part in a highly regimented performance that emphasizes group dynamics rather than individual prowess. Because of the vast scale of the performance, with often tens of thousands of performers, mass games are performed in stadiums, often accompanied by a background of card-turners occupying the seats on the opposite side from the viewers.

This video by British techno band Faithless shows images of North Korea’s mass gymnastics, shot for the documentary A State of Mind:

Of course, there is nothing quite like the real stuff, of which I own several full length DVDs. It’s so over the top, it’s scary. Check out this footage, presumably shot by tourists (who are heard talking and cheering in the background):

It makes me want to get up, dance and cheer. And sit and weep.