Fruits of the Mengga Tree, Opening a new chapter
in dance drama
Fruits of the Mengga Tree (1987) was a noteworthy
work when it was first staged, choreographed by Moon Il-ji, an artistic director
at the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theater. This work was highly appreciated
by the audience because of the effort the choreographer put into researching
Korean traditional dances and presenting them in a manner faithful to their
nature.
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| Fruits of the Mengga Tree
by Moon II-ji |
Emi by Park Myung-sook |
Discarded Memories by Eom
Seong-eun |
This dance drama is based on a short story written by
Huh Geun-wuk in 1962. The story, describes the damage and pain the war causes
to Sohee, the narrator of the play. The thesis of the story is that "Sohee
went crazy and died due to the scars of war." Moon expands the story by
adding symbolic images of nature represented by Mengga tree, blending theatrical
methods with modern dance techniques.
Chumbon, The basic method of dancing
Through the Korean Creative Dance Movement which has
been actively expanding since the mid 1970's, dancers devoted themselves
to finding a new identity by creating Sinmuyong (New Dance) vocabulary,
dance grammar, and dance method. In the center of this movement was Kim
Mae-ja, who led the world of Korean creative dance by organizing the Changmu
Dance Company. Her Chumbon I and Chumbon II presented "Seungmu,"
"Taryong," "Gutgeori," and "Yonpungdae" as the basics of the new Korean
dance genre.
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| Gray Space by Oh Eun-hee |
A Vane by Kim Hyon-ja |
Um by Choi Seong-ok |
Chumbon I begins with Kim Mae-ja's solo (Four
dancers appear on the stage at the finale but they play only minor roles).
Kim Mae-ja dances while taking deep breaths in a style similar to the
royal court dance and the rhythmical breathing found folk dances. Chumbon
II also introduces various elements of traditional dances, and is
considered a seminal work to her adherents in the Changmu Dance Company.
The Dandelion Kingdom, Accepting historical consciousness
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Lim Hak-sun, the
choreographer in The Dandelion Kingdom (1989) uses dandelions
to symbolize the persistence with which the Korean people resisted
foreign invasions. In this piece, invaders are symbolized by
men in red clothes while the victims are symbolized by women
in yellow clothes. Dancers describe the birth of life using
only delicate movement of the arms as they lie in a row on the
stage. There are confrontations between male and female dancers
and between groups and individuals. Male dancers try to gain
control of the weaker female dancers, but the female dancers
refuse to submit. |
| The Dandelion Kingdom
by Lim Hak-sun |
Lim Hak-sun is a choreographer who does not follow
tradition and has pursued her own style of creative dance since the
early 1980s. She has also established her own theory of movement and
dance by developing motions based on Taegeuk structures. Her dance
work maintains balance and maximizes symbolism in accordance with
the principles of "Yin" and "Yang."
Karima, Actively re-creating tradition
| Karima
by Youn Duck-kyung portrays a woman from her birth, through
the formation of her personality to the acceptance of tradition.
All of these phases are symbolized by her Karima (the
part in one's hair). The entire work consists of three acts.
As the curtain rises, 14 dancers lie on the stage in darkness
without moving. Then a woman (Youn Duck-kyung) walks onto
the stage slowly. A powerful dance follows, and she appears
again. She seems initially comfortable while dancing with
the group, but when she begins to develop self-consciousness,
she stays away from the group and wanders about the stage
alone. |
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| Karima by Youn Duck-kyung |
In the 2nd act, male dancers appear on the stage
in a display of masculinity. The patriarchal system that effectively
confines her though she tries in vain to escape. The men create
a terrifying atmosphere with their violent movements. At first,
she seems to give up her resistance, but then defeats the men one
by one with her challenging attitude. Then 10 female dancers and
Youn perform a dance which fills the stage with the joy of freedom.
The 3rd act begins with a group of dancers moving slowly under dim
red light. Dancers express their friendly relationships by scattering
and then gathering at will, enjoying the freedom. Female dancers
gather around Youn Duck-kyung and they caress each other in the
spotlight.
Hwe, A creative dance by unified company
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Hwe,
choreographed by Jeong Jae-man and Kim Hyon-ja, is an outstanding
work with good imagination and organization. The work won
the grand prize in the Korean Dance Festival in 1984. The
dance attempts to metaphorically express moral precepts
and examine the coexistence of good and evil. Jeong and
Kim also demonstrated the beauty and grace of duet dance.
The story depicts how cocks fight for hens over mating privileges
and in a larger sense the issue of "existence" is manifested
through the image of the fighting roosters. The sound of
the Kkwaenggwari (small gong) adds tension to the scene.
The Gayageum (string instrument) is used to enhance the
mood of the love scene.
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| Ocher World by Park
Jae-hee |
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