Since the inception of its first magnificent performance in 1997, Nanta which figuratively means reckless punching as in a boxing match has been Korea’s most popular performance that integrates traditional ‘samulnori’ rhythm into a western-style performance.

Nanta features four capricious cooks preparing for a wedding banquet in a huge kitchen. While cooking, they turn all kinds of kitchen utensils- pots, pans, dishes, knives, chopping boards, water bottles, and even brooms- into percussion instruments and perform a series of acrobatic cooking shows that thrill the audience. While going back and forth from cooking to pounding out their rhythmic cadences, the kitchen crew creates visual humor and aural fun that entices the audience to participate. As they complete the best dishes of the day, the performance culminates into an interactive feast that highlights and celebrates the communal bond found in a traditional ‘samulnori’ performance.
     

Since its first international debut in 1999 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Nanta has been staged in various countries, including the U.K., Germany, Austria, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, the Netherlands, and Australia. In 2004, Nanta, backed by its wide success in overseas performances, opened a long term performance in Broadway, New York, being the first Asian performance to do so. Its universal popularity is attributed to anonverbal characteristic that can be easily enjoyed by people from all around the world. Nanta was voted as one of the "10 most famous tourist attractions in Seoul" by the Korea Tourism Organization in 2008.