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In this new genre of dance, the dancer goes anywhere, anytime,
to meet the public and share his or her feelings with them. Hong Shin-cha also
broke with the established idea of the stage. Hong is the founder of the Juksan
International Arts Festival, an avant-garde event, in Laughing Stone Camp located
in Juksan, Gyeonggi-do. On the outdoor stage, dance harmonizes naturally with
the sky, the earth, the river, the trees and the grass, allowing the artist
to deliver messages of a return to nature, romanticism and freedom more realistically.
Venues for so-called "Street Dance" performances have ranged from the front
yard of the National Theater to palace gardens and even subway passageways.
In recent years, Korean modern dance developed in conjunction
with the spread of "Internet culture." Remarkable achievements and breakthroughs
took place in the 80s such as video and digital technology being increasingly
incorporated into the performances of dancers, a fusion of dance with other
genres, the emergence of new and unconventional styles of dance that reject
any type of categorization.
An interesting fusion has recently taken place in the development
of Korean modern dance in the collaboration between video artists and dancers.
Most prominent among this new genre of expressive dance are the works of Kim
Hyon-ja, a choreographer in the creative dance genre, who worked with the world-famous
video artist Paik Nam-june. Other remarkable video dance artists include Kim
Hyon-ok and Lee Jung-hee. Kim Hyon-ok's Teile Dich Nacht (Night, Divide) was
a pioneer work utilizing superb video techniques. Lee Jung-hee first tried video
dance in Salpuri I, by incorporating video screens into her stage design, then
furthered the experiment in 1991 when she held the Films and Video Exhibition
of Lee Dong-hyon and Lee Jung-hee. Choi Sang-cheol used multi-media presentations
to express his dance philosophy during this rapidly changing time. His Black
Angel, called by some a "multi-media dance," was praised by the critics for
connecting the human body with machines in a highly imaginative technology.
Dance meets poetry in The Letter from Jinggangman by Kim
Bok-hee and Kim Hwa-suk, which was adapted from Lee Hyong-gi's poem. Other experiments
include Kasiri by Nam Jeong-ho based on the Koryo Kingdom-era lyric poem of
the same title and Bride by Hwang Hee-yun inspired by Seo Jeong-ju's poem. Park
Myung-sook choreographed The Morning Wakes Up Alone from "A Half of the Failure,"
a novel by Lee Kyong-ja, and Hong Sung-yop produced The Fifth Character based
on Kafka's "Metamorphosis." While Park concentrated on storytelling, Hong applied
the theme of harmony between tension and relaxation in his dance work.
Lee Jung-hee's Natural Human Being is an exemplary work that
blends Korean traditional dance with modern dance. Lee Sook-jae's Hangeul Journey
is unique in displaying geometrical body movements in accordance with the shapes
of Hangeul (the Korean alphabet). In addition, Deja vu and He Counts Other Numbers
Again by Hong Sung-yop demonstrated Hong's artistic ability and choreographic
imagination.
The experiments of young artists are also remarkable. The
Waning Moon by Lee Yoon-kyung, which drew the attention of the Bagnolet Choreography
Competition in France (Rencontres Choreographiques Internationales de Seine
Saint-Denis), expresses femininity with delicate Eastern sentiments. In A Cuckoo
Does Not Sing at Dawn, Song Mi-kyoung experimented with a log set and water
on the stage. Jeon Soon-hee's The Eclipse presented her own version of this
new trend with costumes, symbolic settings, ritualistic atmosphere and minimalistic
movements. Among the local dance circles, it was generally referred to as "decolonization,"
meaning an attempt to escape from the decades-old local concept of dance stage,
costumes, music and styles of expression.
Outdoor Dance - Leaving the Theater
Outdoor Dance in Springtime, A direct meeting with
the public
| Lee Jung-hee's "Street Dance
Campaign" enlisted a large number of followers who also began to stage
dance performances outdoors. The international trend of taking dance outside
of the theater and bring it to churches, office spaces, parking lots,
parks, city squares and even rooftops, finally arrived in Korea with a
splash. Lee's first outdoor performance, Outdoor Dance in Springtime,
was presented at a university campus in April, 1984. Since that time,
Lee has staged dances in such diverse and unlikely venues as apartment
grounds, the Deoksu Palace courtyard, Daehangno (University Street), Yeouido
Square, Ulleung-do and Dokdo Islands in the East Sea and even in the
DMZ. |
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| Outdoor Dance in Springtime
by Lee Jung-hee |
The Juksan International Arts Festival
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The Juksan International
Arts Festival has been held annually by Hong Shin-cha at Laughing Stone
Camp in Juksan near Anseong, Gyeonggi-do, since 1995 under the theme of
"Nature, Humanity and the Arts." It focuses on how artists respond to
changes in nature. Dances, performance art, music, installation arts,
fashion shows and plays are all presented in combination with the sun,
the blue sky, the wind and the forest providing the stage for performances.
Workshops are also given to the participants. In the Laughing Stone Camp,
Hong Shin-cha lives with the members of her company meditating and dancing
in the beauty of nature. |
| Tri-color by Choi Seong-ok |
Drawing A Revolving Circle, Night view of old palace
 | In Search of a Man who Sends Me... by Choi Eun-hee |  | The Fifth Character II by Hong Sung-yop | | |  | | |
| Outdoor Performance at
'the Juksan International Arts Festival' |
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Firefly, Light up! by Jung
Gwi-in |
by Kim Hyo-jin combines video, lights and sound to light up the night on the grounds of an ancient palace in Seoul. At Chunhwa-jon, Deoksu Palace, a female dancer in a long white dress slowly descends, taking ten minutes to make a turn. Then a video projection on the front of the palace building shows parabolic lines on the screen and
the dance becomes more intense. She buries her body in the sand and jumps into
the air with energetic motions. Under red beams, the mystic dance scene in the
night view of the ancient palace exudes a time-transcending feeling. The choreographer, Kim Hyo-jin, who left the Changmu Dance
Company and co-founded the Dance Group Mi-Ji-Ye, an actively experimental group,
created a performance art, Body Drawing, with Lee Yum, in January, 1998. Subway Theater 2000, A new experimental stage| Street musicians moved into
the underground space of subway stations in order to avoid the noise and
the cold. Subway Theater 2000 successfully turned this public space
into a cultural venue, taking modern dance directly to the public. The
choreographer uses objects in the subway station such as escalators, ticket
counters and passageways, to display new dance styles and widen the area
of creation. |  |
| A Work in 'Subway theater 2000' |
The new dance waveNatural Human Being, Successful integration of Korean
dance and modern danceNatural Human Being by Lee Jung-hee was the National
Dance Company's first modern dance production after moving to the National Theater
in 1973. This work drew special attention from one who wondered if dancers trained
in traditional styles and techniques could perform modern dance. Contrary to
scepticisms, the production proved the possibility of a harmonious combination
of the two.
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Amid lyrical music presented
by a 24-piece band, a female dancer expresses the theme with a solo dance,
followed by dancers who repeat her movements. They seem to feel earth
through their whole body. Four female dancers appear and depict the process
of sprouting from the earth. Next, four male dancers form pairs and perform
the various dances such as a pas de deux and Korean traditional dance
called 'Ganggang Suwollae' The background music of the bagpipe and other
wind instruments add a sense of mystery to the dance. In spite of the
restrained movements of the dancers, the production is lively and quick.
The choreographer portrays man's assimilation to nature, represented by
the moon in this play, with the lighting, costumes and music contributing
significantly to delivering the theme. |
| If My Words Were Boots by Son
In-young |
The Hangeul Series, Unique dance using Korean alphabet
| Beginning in 1991, Lee Sook-jae
has choreographed modern dance works that deal with Hangeul (Korean alphabet)
and King Sejong, its inventor. She used the Korean writing system as the
source of her inspiration and continued to explore the subject for over
10 years. The series began with Vowels and Consonants (1991) then
continued to A Big Pine Tree (1992), Sin Yongbi-eocheon-ga
(1993), Hangeul Journey (1995), Hangeul Nuri (1996), A
Deep-Rooted Tree (1997), Super-star Sejong still lives today
(1997), Hangeul-Into That Virtual Space (1998), and Hangeul
Millennium (2000). |
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| HangeulChoom (Korean Alphabet
Dance) 2000 by Lee Sook-jae |
The Hangeul series demonstrates the logical, simple structure
of Hangeul through geometrical movements, combining the physically balanced
beauty of the dancers with advanced stage effects, lighting, music and high-tech
displays. The dance attracted people who would not normally be interested in
modern dance but who take pride in the national heritage associated with Hangeul.
The annual performance was presented on the October 9 Hangeul Day contributing
to the popularization of modern dance.
Dance as Calligraphy, Creation and disintegration
 |
Dance as Calligraphy
by Son In-young also applies the techniques of modern dance and ballet
to Korean dance. Sohn believes in the concept of "ki" (energy or internal
force) and asserts that performing with ki could improve the techniques
of dancing. In this work, she utilizes a system of breathing unique to
Korean dance, the movement of "jeong-jung-dong" (motions in stillness)
and the beauty of the human body. |
| Remember by Kang Kyung-mo |
She then developed the method of "Dance as Calligraphy."
Despite her inclination to use indigenous ideas in her work, she wants to categorize
her works as being contemporary in style, rejecting to be labelled as a genre
of Korean traditional dance. She toured the United States with the "Korean Dance
for People All over the World" program in 1996 showing such representative productions
as One Summer, One Afternoon, Yesterday and Today, Yellow Sands and Four
Seasons.
Returning to homeland, she summarized the result of her study
in a paper entitled, "Creation and Disintegration," indicating that she wants
to disintegrate the structure of dance art in Korea, which is now divided into
Korean dance, modern dance and ballet. She argued that creation of a new genre
by integrating all these categories could be a shortcut to broadening the audience.
He Counts Other Numbers, Departing from the stereotypes
Hong Sung-yop's He Counts Other Numbers deals with
the hysteria and extreme anxiety of modern people. Throughout the performance,
dancers display descriptive movements set to the contemporary music of John
Adams. Then, the movements turn to something like grand mal seizures when deviant,
discordant music erupts from the stage. Finally, the dance evolves to resemble
a ritual to rid modern men and women of their extreme stress and frustrations.
The "numbers" means years of the next century which people are counting to forget
about the present.
The most notable thing in He Counts Other Numbers
is Hong Sung-yop's attempt to show off the individual talents of each dancer
and his effective use of space, lighting and stage devices.
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| Arirang by Oneself by Lee Yoon-kyung |
Drawing a Revolving Circle
by Kim Hyo-jin |
Sonance by Lee Ji-eon |
Dance Utilizing Video Art
Kim Hyon-ja and Paik Nam-june
| Korean-born video artist
Paik Nam-june had his first exhibition in Korea in 1984 and again during
the '86 Asian Games. Paik utilized a large number of TV sets to construct
a video art display that was immensely popular at his first exhibition
in Wuppertal, Germany in 1963. His pieces were later televised in Kora
and in domestic museums. In 1992, he collaborated with choreographer Kim
Hyon-ja on the Korean stage. |
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| Black Angel by Choi Sang-cheol |
| Kim Hyon-ja appears on the
stage in a semi-transparent yellow costume with ice cubes placed on her
shoulders, and then sits on the floor in the Buddhist lotus position.
She stands twisting her limbs then moves as if she were a sculpture in
motion. As the ice melts, water soaks her and reveals the lines of her
body. Finally, a "video sonata" is played, in which Paik beats the black
and white keys of the piano with a small video camera, a dentist's mirror
and a shaving set. He projects his chin, forehead and throat onto the
screen. |
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| Film, Video, and Dance - 19860130
by Lee Jung-hee |
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Images and movements captured
by Paik Nam-june's camera are repeatedly projected onto dozens of television
screens at the back of the stage. While Kim Hyon-ja, dressed in a red
and gray costume, performed a ritual dance holding branches of a tree,
American musicians, Charlotte Moorman and John Cage appear and their performances
overlap on the screen.
Paik Nam-june sits on or under the piano, hits
it with a hammer and opens and closes the piano lid repeatedly. Kim Hyon-ja
arouses an incantational atmosphere as if to overcome this confusion.
At this moment, the curtain falls, but Paik Nam-june continues his performance.
Kim Hyon-ja impressively expresses the idea of Korean or Asian minimalism,
which has recently had a great influence on the Korean dance scene. She
quietly reveals the line of her body in stillness, and as the dance progresses,
she focuses on disclosing her body rather than dancing. A dancer in a
luxurious costume with a branch of a tree creates a beautiful tension
and a ritual-like atmosphere that is created through the sound of Buddhist
gongs. |
| Paik Nam-june's Performance
and Kim Hyon-ja's Dance |
Video dance dedicated to Yun Yi-sang
Teile Dich Nacht (Night, Divide!) by Kim Hyon-ok received
an award at the Dance on Camera Festival organized by the U.S. Dance Films Association
in 1992. The sea of Long Island provides the backdrop for this work scrutinizing
life, death and loneliness. Teile Dich Nacht, a 13-minute solo work,
is dedicated to Yun Yi-sang. The Korean composer who lived in Germany composed
music inspired by Nelly Sachts' poems.
Modernity and Experimental Spirit
Salpuri I by Lee Jung-hee was the first attempt in
Korea to incorporate video into a dance performance. In this work, Lee uses
a multi-vision screen to blend movements with images of nature. Lee's Natural
Human Being, in which she collaborated with her husband, Lee Dong-hyon,
clearly focuses on the encounter between television and nature, the latter being
represented by the movements of dancers.
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The Exhibition of Lee Dong-hyon and Lee Jung-hee
held in April, 1991, revealed some Eastern thoughts such as the transmigration
of the soul, and "han." Film, Video and Dance had the characteristics
as a Western-oriented composite art but there was also an element of Eastern
mysticism. Under the lights, the sound of water dropping from Lee's hands
combines with scenes of flowing water on the screen. The video shows scenery
from Magok in Kangwon Province. A well and rising clouds are depicted.
The lights are now on female dancers, the daughters of nature in white
costumes, who lie or sit, all as innocent as children.
Lee Jung-hee has a fairy image and her white
clothes are meant to convey the meaning captured in Salpuri series.
In an ironic reversal of functions, the video screen here actually utilizes
Lee Jung-hee's dance. She, in fact, hardly dances but performs a mime
to depict actions such as drawing water. Only on the screen, does she
dance. |
| Color of the Time, Chameleon
by Lee Jung-hee |
Black Angel, Combining dance and the screen
Black Angel by Choi Sang-cheol, premiered in July,
2000 was a bold attempt to integrate dance, screen and multi-media. This work
explores other artistic areas by harmonizing the human body with various technologies.
Pianist Lim Dong-chang and violinist Eugene Park also participated in the performance.
It is quite remarkable that the dance images projected by
multi-media merge with the dance on the stage. The choreographer Choi Sang-cheol,
dressed in a suit, hides his eyes and ears with his hands then opens his arms
and kicks in the air as if he is laughing at the world. The camera angles enhance
the effect. On stage there are 36 cubes stacked up to 4 meters high, upon which
the dancers perform. A video camera captures the dance then projects it on the
screen. The audience can watch the movements of the dancers either live or on
the screen.
Black Angel consists of four scenes; "Escape from
reality," "Man with wings," "Black Angel's Plot" and "Flight of the Black Angel."
When the curtain is raised, an angel's figure appears over the black scrim drop
and dancers make delicately move with their backs to the audience. They often
roll with their hands on the floor in slow motion. Fast percussion rhythms contrast
with the slow movements of the dancers. Choi Sang-cheol dances solo in front
of the multi-cubes on which a pre-recorded close-up of Choi is projected. Dancers
fly here and there, making the screen an extension of the stage.
Dance Meets Literature
Kasiri, Koryo Gayo through dance
Kasiri, presented in 1990 by Nam Jeong-ho, is adapted
from the ancient Koryo Gayo (lyric) "Kasiri." It describes a woman's sorrow
at being separated from her lover. Nam Jeong-ho displays her excellent dancing
technique, effortlessly going from slow, melancholic movements to fast, upbeat
dance tempos. She also demonstrates her mastery of subtle Korean traditional
dance styles. But in the last part of the production, she shows us an entirely
different style of dance when, in response to a male dancer, she rises out of
a container and changes to vital, active motions.
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| Kasiri by Nam Jeong-ho |
Bride by Hwang Hee-yun |
The Morning Wakes Up Alone
by Park Myung-sook |
The Fifth Character by Hong Sung-yop |
The Letter from Jinggangman, Expressing through dance
and poem
 |
The Letter from Jinggangman
by Kim Hwa-suk premiered in 1981 dramatizes Lee Hyong-gi's poem, which
tells the tale of the agonies and passions of a simple craftsman, a gong
maker. The performance is moving, utilizing a simple setting, lights and
Paik Byong-dong's music.
This work delivers a message not only through
storytelling but also through emotion. It retains the mood and tone of
the original poem, which suggested that the life of an artisan is the
only "real existence." |
| Kongmudohaga by Kang Mi-seon |
The Letter from Jinggangman is unique in that it casts
male dancers in roles traditionally reserved for female dancers. Kim Hwa-suk
established her own dance language by integrating modern dance techniques and
Korean traditional sensibilities, thereby firmly securing her place in the pantheon
of Korean modern dance. Her dance communicates with philosophy, music, poetry
and visual art.
Bride, Seo Jeong-ju meets dance
| Bride by Hwang Hee-yun
is based on Seo Jeong-ju's poem. This is a short 15-minute work revolving
around the motif of the Jilmajae legend. Her solo work shows a life of
endurance. Upon the stage there is a large human-shaped sculpture made
of paper, which is placed behind her. It is set crookedly and seems as
if it could topple over at any second. In front of this, she displays
minimal movements. She sports a short bobbed haircut, wears rainbow-striped
clothes that symbolizes a traditional wedding dress, and expresses the
feeling of waiting -- motionlessly -- a theme also present in her previous
works. |
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| Romeo and Juliet by Yoo Mi-na |
In the work subtitled "A Certain Waiting," Hwang endeavors
to show the inner strength and maturity of Korean women with the dance movements
of "Jeong-jung-dong" (motions in stillness).
Chan-Giparang-Ga, Silla love story in modern dance
Chan-Giparang-ga, created by Ahn Ae-soon and based
on a Silla Dynasty-era poem, harmonizes the sound of a Korean traditional flute
and a large fife eulogizing Giparang, a Hwarang (an elite youth corps of Silla).
The tree on the left side overwhelms the stage. A Korean flute player along
with a pansori singer, Park Yun-cho, stand at the upper left of the stage. During
the performance, Park recites the lyrics. Ahn Ae-soon in white clothes leads
the performance, occasionally interrupting her dance to create a piece of calligraphy.
Ahn as Chungdam dances to show her love for Giparang and writes poems praising
him.
Ahn, attaining Nirvana as Chungdam, puts powdered gold on
her face. Branches of pine are thrown to the sky. Ahn masterfully blends symbols
such as the moon, clouds, a stream, pebbles, branches of pine and white frost
in her dance.
The Morning Wakes Up Alone, A middle-aged woman's
self-identification
The Morning Wakes Up Alone by Park Myung-sook is based
on Lee Kyong-ja's novel of the same title describing a middle-aged woman's search
for her self-identity. When the curtain rises, an asphalt road runs on the left
of the stage, and a group of dancers is already in the midst of their dance
expressing the feminine mind. Female dancers in exotic brown spotted clothes
move about the stage in fits and starts. On the right, a couple in white jump,
hug, and fight under the spotlight, depicting the love and conflict of man and
wife.
Dancers in Spanish traditional dresses dance a contrasting
pas de trois and pas de six to the massive sound of cellos. The style of dance
creates an atmosphere completely different from Park's earlier feminist works.
The dancers seem to be speaking with their bodies about joy, anger, sorrow and
pleasure. The choreographer explores women's problems with graceful and refined
movements under a sophisticated black and white setting.
Dalgung, Based on Seo Jeong-in's novel
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While Seo Jeong-in's original
novel is set in the countryside, Kim Eun-hee's Dalgung (moon palace)
is staged before a huge egg. A shaven-headed male dancer brings the egg
onto the stage. He wears a cape which flows behind him. Kim Eun-hee rises
from the stage in front of the egg, opens it, removes a white powder from
the egg and spreads it on her body, then jumps into the orchestra pit.
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| Dalgung by Kim Eun-hee |
Behind the stage, dancers cavort and play as the white powder
falls amongst them. As the dance progresses, the sound of Haegum (Korean traditional
instrument) becomes increasingly tragic. Dalgung contrasts slow motion images
of Japanese dance, 'butoh' with Korean dance movements demonstrating the choreographer's
maturity and knowledge of dance forms. Kim Eun-hee, who majored in Korean dance,
uses thoughtful and compact expressions which are characteristic of Yamada Sezko,
a famous Japanese choreographer, and that's why she has been dubbed, "Korea's
Yamada Sezko."
The Fifth Character, Kafka's 'Metamorphosis'
The Fifth Character
by Hong Sung-yop is inspired by Franz Kafka's "Die Verwandlung" (Metamorphosis).
This dynamic dance work seeks to resolve the dilemma of the protagonist
on the small diagonal stage. Four dancers perform inside a triangle-shaped
space and a cubic stage juxtaposed to one another.
The movements do not vary much, so they appear
boring, but they effectively describe the isolation of modern people.
Hong shows his unique creativity and literary sense in bringing this famous
prose work to the dance stage. |
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| Bari by Park Hyeon-ok |
Young Choreographers' Experiments
The Waning Moon, Women's inner world through Korean
sensibility
Lee Yoon-kyung's The Waning
Moon which received the grand prize at the Bagnolet Choreography Competition
(Rencontres Choreographiques Internationales de Seine Saint-Denis) in
France, describes a woman's inner thoughts with the addition of uniquely
Korean sentiments. As the moon wanes, a woman's love for others grows.
Throughout the performance Lee Yoon-kyung attempts to convey her sentiments
about nature and humanity with an Eastern perspective.
This work drew international attention not only
because of the suspenseful and mysterious stage atmosphere but also because
of the dancers' accomplished execution of extremely difficult movements.
Lee Yoon-kyung tries to capture the real beauty of Korean women living
virtuous lives. In The Waning Moon, the choreographer contrasts
men and women, humanity and nature, the self and others, softness and
sharpness in every segment of dance. |
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| Maison Baroque by Kim Yun-jeong |
The Eclipse, Nature's curse upon humanity
 |
The Eclipse by Jeon Soon-hee |
|
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The Ice by Song
Ji-young |
| A Cuckoo Does Not Sing
at Dawn by a Song Mi-kyoung |
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The young choreographer Jeon Soon-hee premiered The Eclipse
in June, 2000. Critics praised the work for its dance, sets and beautiful costumes.
At the beginning of the play the whole theater is lighted, both the stage and
the audience space. Dancers are seen worshipping a statue that resembles a Buddhist
image on the upper stage, and then they proceed quickly across the stage. Jeon
Soon-hee believes that an eclipse is nature's curse on humanity so she prepares
a sacrificial ritual to absolve humanity of the curse. The ritual progresses
in complete silence for over 10 minutes; the number of dancers increases to
five but later two of them disappear, absorbed into space.
The dancers make extremely minimal movements, and then change
to regular mechanical actions. A big yellow balloon hung across the stage creates
a moving visual effect. The natural phenomenon caused by the revolution and
rotation of the earth, the sun and the moon is depicted by dividing the stage
into three parts each having different horizons. Dancers make complex movements,
wearing grotesquely inflated costumes in the shapes of tulips and falling parachutes. |
