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| "Five," a new choreography by Sohn In-young, artistic director of the National Dance Company of Korea, during a press conference held at the National Theater of Korea, Thursday. Yonhap. |
By Park Ji-won
The National Dance Company of Korea has released its new choreography "Five" made by its artistic director Sohn In-young to address environmental problems through the perspectives of yin and yang and the five elements amid COVID-19.
"Five" consisting of three acts, largely adapted from various Korean traditional dance styles such as Cheoyongmu (court mask dance), the martial art of taekkyeon, Seungmu (Monk's dance) and Ssikkim-gut (a shamanistic ritual to cleanse souls) associated with the five elements ― wood, fire, earth, metal (or gold) and water ― through the movements of Cheoyong, a mythical character who is the son of the Dragon of the Eastern Sea. It aims to narrate the process of the circulation of life and elements as well as the wisdom of life.
In the first act, in front of people, five Cheoyongs appear and perform Cheoyongmu. The second act aims to show the energy and circulation of yin and yang and the five elements in the hybrid movements of the traditional and contemporary dances. In the third act, the choreography tries to deliver the message that we can return to a healthy life if we can live harmoniously with nature.
"I came up with the idea of talking about environmental issues as I suffered a lot from fine dust. I adopted the character and story of Cheoyong as it is known that it can repel the epidemic, and it was a fit to this pandemic-hit world," Sohn said during a press conference held at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul, Thursday.
She stressed that she aims to show more of the unique combination of traditional and contemporary dance, as part of the dance company's direction, as it can create unprecedented and original performances.
"Korean traditional dance focuses on expressing movements coming from within or the ground, which are flexible but powerful. Whereas, so-called Western dance is focusing on stretching limbs and techniques. If we combine the two, whether or not it could be called traditional, we can show the world very unique dances full of Korean energy."
Ra Ye-song, composer and music director, said it made heavy use of traditional instruments rather than contemporary instruments while taking into consideration the characteristics of each instrument and the five elements. For example, to express metal, it incorporated a lot of instruments made of the material.
Jeong Min-seon, director who is in charge of stage, media art and costumes, said they tried to repeat the patterns of media art as if a fractal pattern, and simplify the stage set to express the circulation of life and the flow of the five elements.
The performance will be showcased at the theater until Sept. 5.
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| A scene of "Five," a new choreography of Sohn In-young, artistic director of the National Dance Company of Korea during a press conference held at the National Theater of Korea, Thursday. Yonhap. |
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