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Norwegians seek A-ha! moment in North Korean music

The Columbian
Published: February 10, 2012, 4:00pm

OSLO, Norway (AP) — An arts festival in northern Norway is offering a rare glimpse into North Korean culture this weekend, including performances by musicians whose accordion version of A-ha’s megahit “Take on Me” has been viewed more than 1 million times on YouTube.

Organizers said the five North Korean accordion players provided the soundtrack as 250 Norwegian border guards formed a human canvas by holding up colored cards in shifting patterns — a tradition in the reclusive communist country.

The performance at the “Barents Spektakel” festival in Kirkenes, on Norway’s Arctic border with Russia, was choreographed by two North Korean directors.

Artist Morten Traavik, who recorded the YouTube clip and invited the musicians to Norway, says he wants to challenge “negative perceptions” of North Koreans.

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