| A dancer communicates with the world with his or her body and reacts
to reality in a most direct and poignant manner. During the 1980s and
90s, at a time of rapid economic and political changes, Korean dancers
responded quickly to outside developments. Korean dancers, for the first
time, came out of their academies and moved their art onto the street
where political and social conflicts were making news. Such bold activities
of engagement, some critics say, were possible because Korean dancers
had new confidence in their art after dazzling developments in dance
during the preceding years.
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On Time choreographed by Ahn Ae-soon |
Progressive dancers, not
content with dancing for self-satisfaction or for purely artistic pursuits,
showed the courage to choose problems of society as themes for their
dance and spurred much public reaction. Dancers, as they tried to portray
history and social reality, had two contrasting areas of concern. One
area was the inherent problems of the Korean nation -- the division
of the country accompanied by ideological conflicts, human rights and
freedom -- as the reason for their social engagement. The other was
the more fundamental problem of the recovery of humanity in the realities
of "here and now." Frustrations from the daily routines of urban life
stimulated their artistic passion. |
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May, the Year 1980 choreographed by Kim Hwa-suk |
After witnessing the collapse of the communist bloc and the receding of the Cold War at the end of the 80s, socially-conscious artists shifted
the focus of their creative activities from ideological issues to more individual
and philosophical questions. The major subjects in the 1990s were the search
for self-identity, feminism, environmental concerns and the quest for eternal
Oriental values, etc. Gwangju Democratic Movement Trilogy |
The Gwangju Democratic Movement
of 1980, which left more than 200 pro-democracy protesters dead and
hundreds of others injured in Gwangju was a landmark event in modern
Korean history. The "Gwangju Democratic Movement Trilogy" is a masterpiece
of politically inspired dance created by Kim Hwa-suk over the span of
four years of devoted work.
The first piece of this trilogy, May, 1980 was
first staged by the SAPPHO Modern Dance Company led by Kim Hwa-suk
at the Gwangju Art Hall in May, 1995. This 90-minute performance shows
seven images. When the curtain is raised, films show the massacre
sites and the Mangwol-dong cemetery where the victims of the brutal
military suppression of the popular uprising are buried. A mother
with a chrysanthemum in her hand moves about on the desolate stage.
Images of reeds on a hillside adds to her sorrow which turns to anger
as dancers produce an urgent and intense atmosphere with impromptu
and expressionist movements.
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Salpuri choreographed by Lee Jung-hee |
Two years later in April, 1997, the second piece, The Land of Unrequited Love, was performed at the Seoul Arts Center. This time, seats on the first floor were left empty and the audience looked down on the
stage from the second and third floors. Thus a bowl-shaped stage was created
to symbolize a deserted, estranged land named Gwangju. Again, the pains from
the tragedy of the city was expressed through a mother who seemingly lost her
son in the bloodshed. A large blood-stained cloth is spread on the stage and naked
girls are lying on it. Several boys are also lying beside them. While the cello
plays a funeral song, a girl is molested by the boys. A woman dancer's solo
is followed by another scene of atrocity but the solo dancer desperately appeals
for forgiveness. The last piece, Their Wedding, staged at the Seoul
Arts Center in May, 1998, was made up of seven acts. Twenty-two dancers tell
the story of the aftermath of the bloody uprising, which used the Mangwol-dong
cemetery as the backdrop. As the curtain is raised, eight couples in wedding
dresses stand on stage with their backs to the audience. They perform group
dances in a reenactment of the confrontation between the military forces and
the weak, yet righteous, democratic forces. Of the three productions that form the trilogy, May, 1980
is the most objective historical interpretation of the popular uprising, while
The Land of Unrequited Love tries to portray the inhumanity of totalitarianism.
Although the choreographer attempts to conclude the series with a message of
reconciliation, Their Weddings passes a sweeping moral judgement over
the whole affair. Mom's Smile
Mom's Smile is an
enlightening work that portrays the agony of mothers raising handicapped
children. The story is told through a variety of traditional Korean
dances and quasi-shamanistic rituals, which have been given a modern
interpretation.
Youn Duck-kyung composed the work in ten acts.
The 60-minute performance centers around a deaf boy, Chul, and his
mother.
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|
Salpuri choreographed by Lee
Jung-hee |
The work begins with Chul performing a stammering version
of the song "Mother's Love," followed by the scenes of his mother's courtship
and marriage, Chul's birth, the boy's estrangement from his peers and his untimely
death. A traditional Korean memorial service is held to console Chul's soul
and pray for his happiness in heaven, and his mother performs another traditional
shamanistic dance to exorcise evil spirits. The final dance resembles the traditional
ritual symbolically treading upon the god of the land. Throughout the performance,
the mother wears a modern costume but her exorcism dance is in the traditional
style. The dance is interpreted as an attempt to portray the deep emotion of
"han" that still prevails in contemporary Korean life.
Salpuri series
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Lee Jung-hee's Salpuri
series reflect the political situation at the time when she produced
each work. Although Lee Mae-bang has kept the essential elements of
the traditional "Salpuri dance" the interpretation is nonetheless thoroughly
modern. Salpuri, which means eliminating the "sal" or evil spirit from
one's body, closely resembles the Western concept of exorcism. The Salpuri
dance is therefore a transformative experience. Each Korean province
has its own unique Salpuri characters and motifs, which add difficulty
to the interpretation of the dance. |
The Earth by Yun duk-kyung |
Lee Jung-hee's first piece
of the Salpuri series was performed in 1980 and the last piece was completed
in 1993. Each piece of the 13-year series was a large-scale work, covering
a variety of themes ranging from modern man's isolated life to the tragic
division of the Korean peninsula. After Lee returned home from an extended
study tour in the U.S. in 1980, she released Salpuri I, which
shocked the Korean dance society. Using a slide projection to show scenes
of Seoul in the backdrop, she introduced bold stage techniques into
the performance of the traditional Salpuri ritual. Salpuri II
to Salpuri IX are all realistic works revolving around political
and social issues that predominate in Korean society. Each part of the
series delivered a clear message, from the Gwangju Democratic Movement
to the inter-Korean talks, each uniquely and personally epitomized modern
tragedies in human terms. Therefore, some critics have dubbed the Salpuri
series as "Nine Elegies." |
|
The Song of the Black Spirits
by Lee Jung-hee |
Of the nine pieces, Salpuri VIII is the most lyrical
piece. It begins with a well-dressed couple dancing before an antique record-player
while white umbrellas fall from the sky. The dance paints a picture of the resilience
of the human beings.
Salpuri IX tells of the heart-breaking partition of
the peninsula. The stage is divided into two parts, separated by barbed-wire,
and the dances are symbolically arranged around a negotiating table that divides
the South and the North. Using improvisation, ashen make-up and shocked, glazed
expressions, the dancers portray the hopelessness of the deadlocked inter-Korean
talks. The piece closes with an old woman sweeping the table with a broom, seemingly
longing for the unification of the country.
Red Signal
Red Signal by Han Sang-kun, premiered in 1987, warns
of the destruction of the earth due to human greed. To express the theme of
apocalypse occurring from environmental pollution, Han employed a variety of
unusual sound and lighting effects not only on stage but also in the audience.
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Even before the audience
can take their seats, Han Sang-kun and a band of dancers are already
sitting in the center of the stage. Han Sang-kun is wearing a red skirt,
a blue shirt and flower-patterned shoes while nine female dancers form
a circle around him. Long scarves are drooped over the women's heads.
One wall of the theater is entirely covered with newspapers and six
TV sets are placed on the stage facing the audience. While electronic
music plays, an eerie voice accompanied by clapping sounds are heard
from the balcony seats. The noise creates a strange, nervous mood in
the theater. Suddenly, one of the dancers begins to groan and chatter
her teeth. Dancers begin to shake their bodies to the rhythm of drums
and Kkwaenggwari gongs and then they move in typical Korean dance motions.
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The Land of Predilection by
Kim Hwa-suk |
Han Sang-kun throws his
naked body on the floor, leaps, and brutally rips off his mask, his
movements filled with violence. At the same time, colored confetti is
dropped from the second-floor balcony. This confetti, symbolizing one's
arrival in "Nirvana," is contrasted by a film showing nuclear explosions,
starvations, floods, and pollution. In the finale, dancers take turns
sitting on each other's shoulders, a big balloon soars from the center
stage and white-grey liquid is shot from fire extinguishers to symbolize
a final encroaching cataclysm. As a reminder of our responsibility to
prevent this environmental nightmare, the performance ends with children,
in brand-new clothes, playing under the bright lights on the other side
of the stage -- driving home the message that we have to prepare for
a new era. |
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Mom's Smile by Youn Duck-kyung |
Orpheus Syndrome |
Orpheus Syndrome-1998
was created by the promising young choreographer, Park Ho-bin. He selected
the mythical figure to deliver three themes -- murder, suicide and salvation.
As the curtain is raised, one male dancer hangs
from a stair set up on stage while another male dancer, playing Orpheus,
is tied to a chair. The lead female dancer Jo Seong-ju along with
Park Ho-bin both wear white hospital gowns with long sleeves. Park
Ho-bin holds a plant sprayer in one hand, and in the other a pot.
He continues to water the plant in the pot. Orpheus unties himself
and crosses the "River of Death" to rescue his wife. He finds her
buried in the ground and the two try to escape but Orpheus is captured
by his assailant and is buried in his wife's grave. Park then removes
a snake symbolizing Satan from the heroine dancer's gown, and he takes
out one from his own body, too.
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1919 by Kim Un-mi |
Characters in this work show the sickness of modern man's
condition so explicitly that the intention of the choreographer is quite clear.
The hospital gowns with long sleeves and a blue patchwork intensify the visual
effects of the piece. The "Lord's Prayer" music, a church bell sound, a violin
solo and synthesized religious music produce an extraordinary atmosphere. On Time On Time choreographed by Ahn Ae-soon seeks to portray the "nomadic wandering of modern people." Ahn accomplishes this through the use of delicate music and impulsive movements for the duration of the 18-minute production. But in On Time, Ahn Ae-soon tries to distance herself from the usual Korean themes, which had been a trademark of her works up to now. She had previously
employed Korean traditional dance movements, while rarely relying on
Western techniques since her debut in 1990. In this piece, she seems
to regard the traditional elements as obstacles that restrict her imagination.
In another break with Korean traditional motifs in On Time she
choreographs this dance to jazz music. |
|
Playing with Dolls by Kim Yang-keun |
|
One male dancer and three
female dancers appear on the stage. The male dancer hops around the
stage much like a kangaroo. Then the women dancers launch into an expressive,
lively dance in harmony with the music, bending, stretching, turning,
stepping toward the audience and then returning to their original positions.
Wearing short skirts and black boots with short black hair, they dance
like beasts in a desolate field. The male and female dancers, approaching
and then parting with slow, fluid motions, create an atmosphere of tension
with their energy-packed bodies. In the last part, dancers are freed
from the music and even from the artificial rules of choreography, bringing
On Time to its climax. | The Last Empress by Kook Soo-ho |
La Place
La Place by Deresa Choi, premiered in Seoul in 1999, seeks to criticize the current absurd state of political reality and ideology. A square arena is placed in the center of the stage and dancers inside and outside the square confront one another. When the curtain is raised, Deresa Choi appears performing a duet with a male dancer. They lead the two opposing groups in contests over what the choreographer chose as the four basic elements of society; humans, law, fate and death.
In the first scene, female dancers encircle the boxing ring-shaped arena. One of them moves into the ring, where she joins a male dancer and confronts the other dancers still outside the square. After she disappears, the remaining two male dancers fight each other. The borderline that cordoned off the arena has now been removed and all the other dancers surge forward in a fight to occupy
the center of the stage. A statue is raised as the rope binding it is removed
to symbolize the rising hope for freedom from the fetters of society. Dancers
wear sleeveless shirts, short pants and large rubber bands on their knees, adding dynamism to their movements.
Deresa Choi's three-act production in 1991, Revolution Era, also has a very unique concept. It is a story about a revolutionist
who tries to solve everything by breaking up existing systems. He comes to a
village to save it from a vicious occupation force, but as he succeeds in his
"revolution," he idolizes himself and eventually tries to transform himself
into a god, finally becoming more wicked than the former occupiers, and losing
everything in the process.
In the beginning of the story, a young man, the revolutionist,
appears riding a bicycle, as the army troops march onto the center of the stage.
Dancers deliver the anti-revolutionary message through exquisite theatrical
work, which holds the audience in thrall. Deresa Choi defines revolution as
"a kind of malignant fever" and emphasizes that every ideology loses its persuasive
power if it loses its humanity. The hero and his followers commit suicide or
are hanged in the final act.
Song of Black Soul
The Song of Black Soul
series, choreographed by Lee Jung-hee, creates strong, tragic images
by including unusual and highly interesting stage props; a child, a
ladder, chairs and colored backdrops in white, black and yellow. But
the restrained movements of the dancers and the subdued lighting make
for an overall simple stage atmosphere. Music is used to the bare minimum.
Members of the audience report feeling an almost
hypnotic effects from the dancer's mask and slow, deliberate movements
in Song of Black Soul I. Song of Black Soul II shows an erotic
female body which, however, fades out, leaving the audience in a thrilling mood. | |
On Time by Ahn Ae-soon |
Lee Jung-hee appears throughout the production as a shaman or a magician and relates the bulk of the narrative with her facial expressions alone. Even her sitting posture exudes strength and authority that wells up from her personality. Lee positions herself on an iron pedestal, hiding her face beneath her hair. For some time, she moves her hands slowly, as if to say something, and then lifts her feet just a little. Soon, she begins to groan and curse as if a death knell were escaping from her throat. When she finally reveals her face to close the production, it appears to be a white-colored mask.
Glass City
| In Glass City, choreographed
by Bae Jeong-hye in 1987, all the stage elements are drastically abbreviated
in an attempt to focus the attention of the audience on the dance. This
production, too, deals with an existential theme. The artist seeks to
express the modern individual's frustration at being unable to reconcile
themselves with the realities of post-industrial life. The essence of
the dance is expressed simply and emotionally. As one can garner from
the title, the emotions of modern city life glitter like a glass castle
but they are also translucent -- exposed to all. Bae Jeong-hye's dance
flows like a literary work as she reflects on her past life; she uses
a symbolic semi-transparent screen, which divides the stage in two,
to aid in the telling of the story. |
Journey of Fire by Bae Jeong-hye |
Throughout the dance, Korean
classical dance music (chunaengmu) is played as two men stand on the
stage. Behind them are two female dancers who perform a vigorous, powerful
dance. Kim Cheon-heung's low, calm voice narrates as the dancers act
out scenes symbolizing the complexities of modern life. The hanging
screen at the center of the stage is divided into a symmetrical curtain,
under which Bae starts a solo "Salpuri" only to abandon it midway.
Her unfinished dance poignantly expresses her quandry: though she is
thoroughly modern, she cannot escape the bondage of tradition. |
|
La Place by Deresa Choi |
Maria Complex
|
Maria Complex is
a feminist work dealing with pregnancy and abortion that was first brought
to the stage by Park In-suk in 1991. This 70-minute work explores the
complexity of a contemporary women's emotions when faced with having
to choose whether or not to have an abortion. The script, music, stage
equipment and visual images are all combined to enact the conflicted
nature of those women faced with this difficult decision.
Maria Complex portrays pregnancy and the
bond between mother and child through a variety of dance scenes using
different combinations of male and female dancers with lively, almost
gay, music and a dazzling light show. The conflicting choice of music
and theme serves to highlight the absurdity of women's thoughts on
this grave question. The dance closes with a woman lying on a bed
at the front of the stage while a baby cries from the back of the
stage, depicting the broken relationship. A cross, a hospital sign
and an emergency room provide dramatic setting for a dance production
that deals with a feminist issue.
| Shining Mountain by Lim Hak-sun |
Dog, Dream and Chrysanthemum
Jeon Mi-sook's soul-searching dance combines three unrelated
subjects, with each being presented in a negative sense. The subtitles accompanying
this production explain that the dog represents a "dog-like" damned world, a
dream that never comes true and the chrysanthemum flower that just fades away. | | | Spring of Hometown by Kim Hyoung-hee | When They Were Dreaming by Kim Hwa-suk | Maria Complex by Park In-suk |
Large iron fans are lined up in a row on the horizon of the stage, while dancers with black hats perform as condemned criminals in front
of machines, leaping and falling. The fans are still, in contrast to the manic
movements of the inmates. From a dome high above the stage, ashes of death are
poured onto the floor as the "dogs" below take off their clothes. Dancers in
skin-colored tights express the daily struggle for survival by rending their
garments. For this part, the choreographer chooses to minimize the technical
aspects of movements and instead concentrate on the simple, daily movements
of life that fill our existence: pushing, pulling, walking, running.
|
A woman dancer appears in
a white strapless dress, decorated with white chrysanthemums, the symbol
of death. Her mouth is highlighted by her makeup, and when she shouts,
her strange facial expression seems to scorn society, herself and others.
The eight dogs describe dirty, vulgar and shameless human beings and
the world they have created. Their blue velvet clothes become ragged
and torn as they grapple, kick and claw one another. Gas masks worn
by some dancers symbolize the pollution of our air, the ten huge fans,
which are supposed to ventilate the space, do not work and the iron
chains that fall from the sky are a heavenly warning to fetter the evil
instincts of human beings. Those men have dreams, the reason for their
existence, but they are just dreaming. The female dancer in a long dress
decorated with chrysanthemums returns again to close the production.
| On Time by Ahn Ae-soon | Jeon Mi-sook illustrates her nihilistic beliefs as well as her sneering contempt for the mad, irrelevant world that we have collectively created. But her characters are unable to resist their oppressors, whoever they may be. This work testifies to Jeon's deep insight into fundamental human nature. |