Wit, whimsy and time's gravity: Korean National Ballet's Kylian Project
The program includes "Forgotten Land," "Falling Angels" and the wryly humorous "Sechs Tanze" ("Six Dances"), offering a compact glimpse into the world-renowned contemporary choreographer's remarkable range.
Opening the triple bill, "Forgotten Land" unfolds against a backdrop reminiscent of aged or singed parchment.
The piece is set to Benjamin Britten's mournful Sinfonia da Requiem, which was composed during WWII and grapples with the fragility of human existence.
Kylian described the piece as a work created in the idiom of musical choreography, meaning that all movement derives directly from the music — a reason to pay close attention to how choreography and score mirror each other.
Twelve dancers channel the ebb and flow of time through expressive duets, each marked by distinct costume colors representing the phases of a woman's life, drawing visual inspiration from Edvard Munch's "Dance of Life" (1899), a key influence cited by Kylian.
Making its Korean premiere, "Falling Angels" is a taut, hypnotic work set to Steve Reich's rhythmically charged minimalist score.
Created for eight female dancers, Kylian once described it as a 'somewhat light-hearted homage' to female performers, but the work is anything but light. No one leaves the stage from start to finish, as the dancers remain locked in an unbroken, percussive momentum. Brief moments of individual variation surface, only to be drawn back into the tight, collective rhythm.
With powdered wigs, billowing skirts and a delightfully absurd flair, "Sechs Tanze" takes a sharp, satirical turn in the Kylian Project program.
Inspired by Mozart's "Six German Dances, K571," Kylian has crafted a sequence of six brief, burlesquelike episodes that lampoon human vanity and social absurdity.
Beneath the frothy humor and baroque whimsy lies an ironic bite — Mozartian wit turned choreographic satire.
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Korea Herald
27-06-2025
- Korea Herald
Wit, whimsy and time's gravity: Korean National Ballet's Kylian Project
From evocative elegy to percussive tension and powdered-wig satire, the Korean National Ballet's Kylian Project brings three of Jiri Kylian's seminal works to the GS Arts Center this week through Sunday. The program includes "Forgotten Land," "Falling Angels" and the wryly humorous "Sechs Tanze" ("Six Dances"), offering a compact glimpse into the world-renowned contemporary choreographer's remarkable range. Opening the triple bill, "Forgotten Land" unfolds against a backdrop reminiscent of aged or singed parchment. The piece is set to Benjamin Britten's mournful Sinfonia da Requiem, which was composed during WWII and grapples with the fragility of human existence. Kylian described the piece as a work created in the idiom of musical choreography, meaning that all movement derives directly from the music — a reason to pay close attention to how choreography and score mirror each other. Twelve dancers channel the ebb and flow of time through expressive duets, each marked by distinct costume colors representing the phases of a woman's life, drawing visual inspiration from Edvard Munch's "Dance of Life" (1899), a key influence cited by Kylian. Making its Korean premiere, "Falling Angels" is a taut, hypnotic work set to Steve Reich's rhythmically charged minimalist score. Created for eight female dancers, Kylian once described it as a 'somewhat light-hearted homage' to female performers, but the work is anything but light. No one leaves the stage from start to finish, as the dancers remain locked in an unbroken, percussive momentum. Brief moments of individual variation surface, only to be drawn back into the tight, collective rhythm. With powdered wigs, billowing skirts and a delightfully absurd flair, "Sechs Tanze" takes a sharp, satirical turn in the Kylian Project program. Inspired by Mozart's "Six German Dances, K571," Kylian has crafted a sequence of six brief, burlesquelike episodes that lampoon human vanity and social absurdity. Beneath the frothy humor and baroque whimsy lies an ironic bite — Mozartian wit turned choreographic satire.
Korea Herald
16-05-2025
- Korea Herald
Ballet Festival Korea welcomes season of connection and legacy
Following Johan Inger double bill, the festival continues with rich lineup of performances through May-June As late spring melts into early summer, Seoul once again turns to ballet to usher in the season with elegance and power. The 15th edition of Ballet Festival Korea kicked off on May 9, with a double bell from the newly established Seoul Metropolitan Ballet — "Walking Mad" and "Bliss" — by acclaimed Swedish choreographer Johan Inger, running through Sunday. This year's program under the theme of connection, brings together 12 dance companies for 26 performances and five accompanying events, ranging from artist talks to outreach programs. This edition also marks the first festival under the artistic direction of Kim Joo-won, a former principal ballerina with the Korean National Ballet and a 2006 recipient of the prestigious Benois de la Danse. Appointed last October as both director and artistic head of the festival committee, Kim shared her vision during a recent press conference at the Seoul Arts Center. 'This festival is an opportunity to reflect on the past, present and future of Korean ballet.' One of the festival's centerpiece events is "ConneXion" with Choi Tae-ji and Julia Moon at CJ Towol Theater in Seoul, May 28. The performance honors two trailblazers of Korean ballet -- former Korean National Ballet artistic director Choi and Universal Ballet director Moon -- and retraces their artistic legacies through tribute performances by KNB and Universal Ballet dancers. 'People used to call us rivals,' Choi said. 'But in truth, we were colleagues who shared our hopes and concerns for ballet. The growth of the Korean National Ballet was made possible in large part thanks to Universal Ballet's presence.' A highlight of this year's lineup is the participation of three regional companies. Following Seoul Metropolitan Ballet's opening, Gwangju City Ballet and Busan Opera House Ballet will also take the stage. Gwangju City Ballet, with a 49-year history, will present "Coppelia" on May 31 at the CJ Towol Theater. The romantic comedy ballet has been rechoreographed by artistic director Park Kyung-sook in previous stagings in 1997 and 2002. This marks the first full-length performance of "Coppelia" in Seoul in 30 years, since Universal Ballet's production in 1995. On June 4, Busan Opera House Ballet will present "Shining Wave," a contemporary piece choreographed by Park So-yeon and inspired by the sea and whales of Busan. Also at CJ Towol Theater, Ryu Hoi-woong's "Life of Ballerino: Dreamer" will be performed June 7-8, featuring male ballet dancers from Mnet's dance competition "Stage Fighter," including Kang Kyung-ho. The piece highlights the physicality and artistic journey of male dancers in a traditionally female-dominated field. From June 13 to 15, Universal Ballet returns with "The Love of Chunhyang," choreographed by artistic director Liu Bing-xian. Since its premiere in 2007, this ballet adaptation of the classic Korean folktale has become one of the company's signature works. Meanwhile, the small Jayu Theater will feature six emerging choreographers and companies selected through an open national call. These works will be presented in three double bills: Paik Yon Ballet Project Y's "The Path to Beauty 2.0" and Aham Art Project's "Waiting for Godot" on June 12-13, Dastanz' "123.45MHz" and Seo Gibum MuTanz Project's "The Room" on June 17-18, and finally Movement momm's "The Earth" and Project Cloud Nine's "Heart of the Wild" on June 21-22.
Korea Herald
30-04-2025
- Korea Herald
Neumeier's ‘Camellias' to bloom again in Seoul as its ‘best version yet'
Drama ballet that earned Kang Sue-jin her Benois de la Danse premieres in May Legendary choreographer John Neumeier's 'The Lady of the Camellias,' with which ballerina Kang Sue-jin became the first Asian dancer to win the Benois de la Danse award in 1999, will take the stage at the Seoul Arts Center, May 7-11. Neumeier and Kang, artistic director of The Korean National Ballet, have come together to create 'the best possible version of this ballet that we can see right now.' 'Ballet is an art of life,' said Neumeier during a press conference held Tuesday at the Seoul Arts Center. 'I have never imagined I would just revive a work. I must recreate a work for it to have value, for it to have life. Without a living (element), it becomes some kind of moving museum.' Based on Alexandre Dumas fils' 1848 novel of the same title, the ballet tells the tragic love story of Marguerite, a courtesan, and Armand Duval, a young bourgeois, set in 19th-century Paris. Premiered in 1978 for the Stuttgart Ballet, Neumeier's 'The Lady of Camellias' sought to break away from traditional narrative ballet structures. 'At that time, I was searching for a new kind of full-length ballet, one that was different from 19th-century works. (The novel) has a sense of overlapping realities, visions and points of view — similar to the technique of modern cinema.' The production by the KNB marks the first time a full-length version of the ballet will be performed by an Asian company. And its arrival in Korea holds particular significance for Kang. ''The Lady of the Camellias' is very special to me. It expresses love, sacrifice and the deep emotions of human nature through the language of ballet,' she said. 'I have truly loved this work, and as artistic director, I have poured my heart into bringing it to the (Korean) stage. I am happy to pass on this ballet, which I have cherished, to the next generation of dancers.' A former principal dancer with the Stuttgart Ballet, Kang has long been immersed in Neumeier's world. During a rehearsal, she stepped in to demonstrate scenes alongside her longtime stage partner Marijn Rademaker. 'During this process, I was surprised to find that the movements and emotions of this piece are still alive in my body, my mind and my heart,' she said. 'It felt as if the moments I once danced on stage were returning to life.' Neumeier praised the commitment of Kang and her company. 'The Korean National Ballet has given complete cooperation, complete understanding and complete desire to realize this work as the best it can be,' he said. His collaboration with the company began last year with 'The Little Mermaid.' That earlier experience, he said, was essential groundwork, because this ballet not only depends on the two main characters but rather on a balance between all of the 10 characters of the piece — all of whom must be technically and emotionally on the same level. 'It was important for me, in working with the Korean National Ballet, to have an experience before 'The Lady of the Camellias.' So that I would be able to know this company better, be able to judge a balance within a cast.' Each rehearsal, for him, is a process of discovery. 'I always find something new — some detail, some truth — which I try to give to the dancers,' he said. 'I am alive, which means every hour, every minute I work with dancers, I discover new truths. I couldn't possibly explain them all to you. There's nothing extraordinary about it, but for me, dance is the living shape of emotion. There is a constant sense of learning and discovering.'
