A cross-section of works defining the Korean ballet scene today has come together, spanning classical repertoire and new, experimental pieces. The 15th edition of Ballet Festival Korea kicked off Friday with the Universal Ballet’s signature work “Shim Chung” at the Seoul Arts Center.
Under the theme of “Echo,” the festival runs until June 21 across major venues in Seoul, presenting 14 works in 26 performances.
Kim Joo-won, a star ballerina and the festival’s artistic director, likened the concept to metronomes, “ticking at different speeds eventually coming into sync.”
“I hope this festival becomes a platform where differences are reflected through art and connected through a quiet but profound resonance,” she added.
While “Shim Chung,” a landmark of Korean creative ballet, marks its 40th anniversary, the Seoul Metropolitan Ballet premieres “In the Bamboo Forest,” a new contemporary work by Kang Hyo-hyung, a former Korean National Ballet dancer, created in collaboration with the traditional musician Park Da-wool.
This is the Seoul Metropolitan Ballet’s second original full-length ballet, set for May 15-17 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.
Among the festival’s newly commissioned works are “Tale of Tales” (May 22-23) and “Ballet Arirang” (June 6-7).
With “Tale of Tales,” Jung Ku-ho, the creative force behind Korean dance hits like the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Company’s “Ilmu” (One Dance), returns to ballet after 12 years.
“Ballet Arirang” reinterprets the emotional landscape of the Korean folk song “Arirang” through a contemporary lens. Directed by Park Hun-kyu of the music group MUTO, with choreography by Choi Soo-jin and Lee Luda, the work draws on themes of resistance and healing.
Regional companies will also take the stage at the Seoul Arts Center. The Chuncheon Ballet Company will bring “The Barber of Seville” on May 27, while the Gwangju City Ballet presents the classical ballet “Le Corsaire” on May 30.
Two mid-sized ballet companies will share a double bill on June 3. The Seoul Ballet Theater and the Wise Ballet Company present works created in collaboration with the choreographer Kim Yoo-mi.
The Seoul Ballet Theater’s “Fiesta” explores the vitality and solace art can offer, while Wise Ballet Company’s “Frida” translates the turbulent life and artistic spirit of the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo.
The festival also highlights six contemporary works selected through an open call, to be presented as double bills at the Seoul Arts Center’s smaller theater.
These include “Not Out” by Aham Art Project, a work about perseverance amid fear of failure; “Human” by Shin Hyun-ji B Project, which explores the body and beauty; and two pieces inspired by the Korean goblin figure, “Dokkaebi Banquet” by Noksackdal and “Dance of the Goblin” by Movement momm.
Other works include “Essential” by Busan Identity Ballet Company, which strips movement to its core, and “Bleak Land” by Project Cloud Nine, a black comedy on the contradictions of modern society.
hwangdh@heraldcorp.com
