Latest news with #Gat
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Demon boy band? These ballet dancers had already cast their spell
Breakout team behind sold-out show mixed heritage with ballet, and struck a chord In the first half of this year, no ballet in Korea stirred up more buzz than 'Gat,' a 70-minute contemporary ballet inspired by traditional Korean hats. Created by the newly established Yunbyul Ballet Company, 'Gat' completed a six-city national tour, selling out every seat along the way — a rare feat for a fledgling company barely a year old. The second run, following its 2024 premiere, drew a wave of fans eager to see the ballerinos who rose to stardom through Mnet's hit dance competition "Stage Fighter." But the excitement didn't stop there. Following the global success of Netflix's animated film 'KPop Demon Hunters,' social media users began drawing comparisons between the film's fictional boy band, the Saja Boys, and the five ballerinos in "Gat." Their playful curtain call — a nod to the demon boy band's signature poses — brought this ghostly ballet back into the spotlight, racking up 1.94 million views on Instagram. At the center of it all are two rising creatives — choreographer Park So-yun and Yun Byul, her longtime dance partner and the company's founder. 'This year, with the national tour and everything, we've been overwhelmed — incredibly busy, but just really happy,' the pair said in a recent interview with The Korea Herald. The unexpected journey, they recalled, began with something simple, but with a twist: A ballerina wearing a gat. Ballerinas wearing gat The spark came in 2019 with Netflix's 'Kingdom,' the Korean zombie thriller set in the Joseon era, which ignited a global fascination with traditional Korean hats. Historically, gat refers to a wide range of hat styles worn according to one's social class, profession, or a particular occasion. What's commonly recognized today as gat — the tall, black, wide-brimmed hat — is called "heungnip," traditionally worn by "seonbi," or male scholars. 'But what if a ballerina wore gat?' said Park. 'I thought the strong cultural significance associated with the male seonbi and their virtues would be intriguing when worn by a woman.' Park had long been collecting choreographic ideas, knowing that her debut as a choreographer would take a deeply Korean form. During a casual bus ride with Yun, she shared her concept. As it happened, Yun was organizing a gala. 'I immediately said, 'Let's do it,'' Yun recalled. 'I loved the idea of combining ballet with gat, and I trusted Park could make it work.' The result was an eight-minute group piece for female dancers that premiered in 2021: On the stage, the ballerinas tiptoe slowly with dignified restraint. Their upright posture, accentuated by the hats and en pointe technique, evokes the image of calligraphy brushes or ghostly, Korean-style grim reapers moving through fog. From wanderer's satgat to bride's jokduri From that short piece, 'Gat' naturally expanded into a 70-minute production composed of nine vignettes, each inspired by distinct headwear. Park selected hats with the most vivid imagery. The red jurip worn by Joseon-era military officers becomes a majestic portrait of a female general in a gender-swapping segment. A wide straw "satgat" tells the tale of a lone wanderer, while the humble "paeraengi" (a commoner's hat) becomes a rhythmic, playful dance of traveling merchants. The "jokduri," a delicate bridal coronet, captures the shyness and excitement of a woman before her wedding. One standout scene and a major factor behind the show's success features the "jeongjagwan" (a tall, pointed hat with an upward-curving structure) traditionally associated with fussy schoolmasters or folktale villains like Nolbu. Usually worn indoors by noblemen, it carries strong connotations of wealth and pride. In this segment, three male dancers swagger across the stage, puffing on long pipes. 'Here, I wanted something with arrogant flair — a little hunched, a little mocking, like they don't care. That energy shaped the movement,' said Park. Yet Park encourages audiences to not seek one 'correct' interpretation. 'Even though I created this with specific images in mind, I hope people imagine their own stories. Maybe one scene feels a little sad, or a dancer carries their own story — that imaginative freedom is what makes it fun.' Credit for the company's rising profile also goes to a savvy blend of dance films and active social media. 'It's a turbulent time in the dance world. Dancers can go viral overnight but attention fades just as fast,' said Yun. 'I've performed in nearly empty theaters and in front of thousands. I believe good marketing and good artistry must go hand in hand — each supporting and enhancing the other.' With their debut production a breakout hit, Yun and Park are now focused on shaping their company's identity and brand. 'As a choreographer, I want to challenge the notion that contemporary ballet is boring or inaccessible,' said Park, adding that the most rewarding feedback came from first-time balletgoers. 'People often think only classical ballet sells. But I believe new works like this can actually be more welcoming to audiences who are new to ballet.' Yun said founding his own company led him to let go of the self-focused mindset and start viewing the performance as a cohesive whole. 'Running a company feels like the tycoon game I used to play when I was young,' Yun said. 'The smallest decisions can change everything. How you speak to dancers, the costumes, marketing, show length, venue -- every detail shapes the final outcome.' 'And when the audience recognizes that dedication, it brings a whole new level of fulfillment for us as creators,' they said. The duo's shared goal is captured in the company's motto: 'It's not how much you see. It's how deeply you see.' 'We plan to keep experimenting and continue creating something that is truly our own.' In the coming months, Park will return to the stage as both dancer and choreographer in 'Developpe,' a ballet gala blending original and classical works, at Guro Arts Valley on Aug. 2. Meanwhile, the 'Gat' segment featuring the jeongjagwan will be performed this Saturday at the Jeju International Dance Festival, with a full 'Gat' tour planned for next year.
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Old hats in new style: How ‘Gat' became ballet sensation
(for online headline: Demon boy band? These ballet dancers had already cast their spell) Breakout team behind sold-out show mixed heritage with ballet, and struck a chord In the first half of this year, no ballet in Korea stirred up more buzz than 'Gat,' a 70-minute contemporary ballet inspired by traditional Korean hats. Created by the newly established Yunbyul Ballet Company, 'Gat' completed a six-city national tour, selling out every seat along the way -- a rare feat for a fledgling company barely a year old. The second run, following its 2024 premiere, drew a wave of fans eager to see the ballerinos who rose to stardom through Mnet's hit dance competition "Stage Fighter." But the excitement didn't stop there. Following the global success of Netflix's animated film 'KPop Demon Hunters,' social media users began drawing comparisons between the film's fictional boy band, the Saja Boys, and the five ballerinos in "Gat." Their playful curtain call -- a nod to the demon boy band's signature poses -- brought this ghostly ballet back into the spotlight, racking up 1.94 million views on Instagram. At the center of it all are two rising creatives -- choreographer Park So-yun and Yun Byul, her longtime dance partner and the company's founder. 'This year, with the national tour and everything, we've been overwhelmed -- incredibly busy, but just really happy,' the pair said in a recent interview with The Korea Herald. The unexpected journey, they recalled, began with something simple, but with a twist: a ballerina wearing gat. Ballerinas wearing gat The spark came in 2019 with Netflix's 'Kingdom,' the Korean zombie thriller set in the Joseon era, which ignited a global fascination with traditional Korean hats. Historically, gat refers to a wide range of hat styles worn according to one's social class, profession, or a particular occasion. What's commonly recognized today as gat -- the tall, black, wide-brimmed hat -- is called heungnip, traditionally worn by seonbi, or male scholars. 'But what if a ballerina wore gat?' said Park. 'I thought the strong cultural significance associated with the male seonbi and their virtues would be intriguing when worn by a woman.' Park had long been collecting choreographic ideas, knowing that her debut as a choreographer would take a deeply Korean form. During a casual bus ride with Yun, she shared her concept. As it happened, Yun was organizing a gala. 'I immediately said, 'Let's do it,'' Yun recalled. 'I loved the idea of combining ballet with gat, and I trusted Park could make it work.' The result was an eight-minute group piece for female dancers that premiered in 2021: On the stage, the ballerinas tiptoe slowly with dignified restraint. Their upright posture, accentuated by the hats and en pointe technique, evokes the image of calligraphy brushes or ghostly grim reapers slicing through fog. From wanderer's satgat to bride's jokduri From that short piece, 'Gat' naturally expanded into a 70-minute production composed of nine vignettes, each inspired by distinct headwear. Park selected hats with the most vivid imagery. The red jurip worn by Joseon-era military officers becomes a majestic portrait of a female general in a gender-swapping segment. A wide straw satgat tells the tale of a lone wanderer, while the humble paeraengi (a commoner's hat) becomes a rhythmic, playful dance of traveling merchants. The jokduri, a delicate bridal coronet, captures the shyness and excitement of a woman before her wedding. One standout scene and a major factor behind the show's success features the jeongjagwan (a tall, pointed hat with an upward-curving structure) traditionally associated with fussy schoolmasters or folktale villains like Nolbu. Usually worn indoors by noblemen, it carries strong connotations of wealth and pride. In this segment, three male dancers swagger across the stage, puffing on long pipes. 'Here, I wanted something with arrogant flair -- a little hunched, a little mocking, like they don't care. That energy shaped the movement,' said Park. Yet Park encourages audiences to not seek one 'correct' interpretation. 'Even though I created this with specific images in mind, I hope people imagine their own stories. Maybe one scene feels a little sad, or a dancer carries their own story -- that imaginative freedom is what makes it fun.' Credit for the company's rising profile also goes to a savvy blend of dance films and active social media. 'It's a turbulent time in the dance world. Dancers can go viral overnight but attention fades just as fast,' said Yun. 'I've performed in nearly empty theaters and in front of thousands. I believe good marketing and good artistry must go hand in hand -- each supporting and enhancing the other.'
DW
4 days ago
- Politics
- DW
Israel: Hostage families voice mistrust in own government – DW – 07/20/2025
With 50 hostages still in Gaza 21 months after the Hamas attacks on Israel, their relatives continue to grow frustrated. Some are losing faith that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will strike a deal to bring them home. On a windy evening in Jerusalem, a few dozen protesters gathered in front of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. According to reports, the protest took place at short notice because at the same time meetings between Israel's most highly-ranked politicians were happening in that same building, discussing the most recent developments in the indirect negotiations with Palestinian militant group Hamas on a ceasefire deal that would result in some of the Israeli hostages returning home. Some of the protesters held a big air balloon above their heads in the shape of the yellow ribbon, the symbol adopted by campaigners calling for the hostages' release. On the balloon were white stickers with various numbers written on them with a black marker pen: 155, 344, 356. These numbers represent the number of days since October 7, 2023, when the hostages were taken. This started when Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose son Hersh was murdered in August 2024 by Hamas in Gaza, appeared in interviews with a sticker and a number on it to raise awareness for the hostages' plight. As of July 2025, this number has surpassed 650. "The era of selection is over," reads one of the signs, referring to the choice process which determines who will be released and who will have to stay in Gaza's tunnels until another deal is struck. The story of Carmel Gat shows just how significant the risk to a hostage's life in Gaza is. Gat was kidnapped from her home during the incursion in southern Israel that Hamas led on October 7, 2023. Israel, the United States, the European Union and others designate Hamas a terrorist group,. She was supposed to be among those released as part of the first hostage deal in November 2023 between Israel and Hamas that saw over 100 captives in Gaza freed and 240 Palestinian prisoners released. But when the truce collapsed, she remained in Hamas captivity. After Gat survived 328 days, Israeli soldiers found her and five other Israeli hostages dead in a tunnel in southern Gaza — the autopsy report revealed she and the other hostages were shot at close range. Gat was 40 years old. Her cousin, Gil Dickman, has become one of the most vocal supporters of a deal for the release of the remaining hostages. He told DW that the current state of the negotiations feels like "deja vu." "A year ago (in July 2024), many family members of hostages were with Netanyahu in Washington, DC, myself included. The only difference is that Carmel and five other hostages were alive back then," Dickman recalled. "Carmel could have returned had Netanyahu made the right call." Yehuda Cohen's son, Nimrod, is one of the some 20 hostages believed to be still alive — 30 others are thought to be dead. In a conversation with DW, Yehuda Cohen outlined how he lost his trust that the Israeli government would bring the hostages home. "I don't have any trust in my own government, I don't trust Netanyahu," he said. "I only have trust in the American administration that it will force Netanyahu into sealing a deal." This hope — that the US may yet force through a deal — is prevalent among campaigners in Israel. At the protest in Jerusalem, many signs called on US President Donald Trump, rather than Netanyahu, to do everything in his power to bring the hostages home. Cohen lists the reasons for the mistrust in the Netanyahu government, including the insistence on Israel staying in the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip of land on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, and Netanyahu's aides allegedly leaking classified documents to , a German tabloid, to influence public opinion in Israel in favor of the Netanyahu government's position. According to Cohen, the list of reasons for hostage families not to trust the Israeli government is "very long." While Netanyahu told the hostages' family members that an offer to bring all hostages home in one deal "was never an option," Hamas officials went on record on several occasions emphasizing their interest in a deal that would return the remaining hostages and bring about an end to the war in Gaza. "It is our government that insists on a selection process between the hostages," says Dickman, calling this reckoning "painful to apprehend." Still, both Cohen and Dickman agree that any deal bringing hostages back is a good thing. "Even a partial deal means my son's turn is getting closer," Cohen said. The Israeli public is no stranger to hostage situations, whether it is the Sabena Flight 171 hijacking in 1972 by the Black September Organization, Hamas's kidnapping and killing of Israeli soldier Nachshon Wachsman in 1994 or the group's abduction of Gilad Shalit in 2006. As a result, the principle that no one is left behind became deeply rooted in Israeli society over the years. Dickman believes that while the Israeli public supports this ethos, the same cannot be said of the country's government. "This is a government politically controlled by people whose ethos is, in my eyes, more jihadist than Israeli," he said, referring specifically to the far-right parts of Netanyahu's coalition, primarily National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who both want Palestinians to leave Gaza and Jewish settlements to return there. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "Their goals involve land, not human life, and they consider their goals sacred," he says, adding that the demand for the return of the 50 hostages is also about Israel's future. "It's about whether this country will become such that is willing to sacrifice life — mine, yours — for so-called 'sacred' targets, or rather a country where life is sacred." Yehuda Cohen struck a similar tone: "We have a prime minister who's only committed to himself," he said. "You have people in this government who openly support those who abuse prisoners, which results in the risk of revenge against my son. There's no solidarity in this society; it's each one to their own." According to Yehuda Cohen, the only way to bring his son home is to keep fighting for the hostages' release and the end of the war, whether that means speaking to the media or protesting outside Netanyahu's office.
News18
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
We Were Liars Review: A Tragic, Twisty Teen Mystery With A Haunting Final Episode
Last Updated: We Were Liars Review: Prime Video's new series is a tragic, twist-laden teen thriller that explores trauma, privilege and memory, ending with a finale that leaves a lasting impact. We Were Liars Review: We Were Liars, the new psychological YA thriller streaming on Prime Video, is a brooding, sun-soaked mystery set against the backdrop of wealth, trauma and generational secrets. Based on E. Lockhart's best-selling 2014 novel, which found renewed popularity through BookTok, the series explores the fragility of memory and the dark truths hidden beneath a gilded family legacy. With Julie Plec and Carina Adly MacKenzie at the helm, this eight-part adaptation strikes a balance between teen angst and slow-burning tragedy, even if it stumbles occasionally along the way. The story centers on Cadence Sinclair Eastman (Emily Alyn Lind), a teenager from an elite American family known as the Sinclairs. Every summer, they retreat to their private island, Beechwood, near Martha's Vineyard – a place of tradition, wealth, and carefully constructed appearances. But something traumatic happened during Cadence's Summer 16 which she can't remember. A year later, she returns to the island, determined to piece together the events that led to her brain injury and her unraveling reality. As Cadence reconnects with her cousins Johnny (Joseph Zada), Mirren (Esther McGregor), and family friend Gat (Shubham Maheshwari) – the self-named 'Liars" – the series toggles between two timelines: the golden, romanticised Summer 16 and the somber, uncertain Summer 17. The intercutting is visually distinct but not always seamless; though the intention is to mirror Cadence's fractured mind, the frequent timeline jumps can feel jarring rather than immersive. Still, what We Were Liars does best is build atmosphere. From moody monologues to dreamy Fourth of July parties, the series captures the eerie allure of adolescent summers tinged with privilege and unease. Director Nzingha Stewart's vision leans into the poetic tone of the novel, supported by voiceovers that range from introspective to slightly overdone. Emily Alyn Lind brings vulnerability and resilience to Cadence, anchoring the series even when the writing gets murky. However, the romantic chemistry between Cadence and Gat feels undercooked. While their storyline hints at deeper discussions of class and race, with Gat being the outsider challenging Sinclair elitism, those ideas are barely skimmed and the show misses an opportunity for sharper commentary. On the other hand, the adult cast is a revelation. Mamie Gummer, Caitlin FitzGerald, and Candice King, playing the feuding Sinclair sisters, bring electric tension to every scene. Their fraught dynamics, layered with unspoken resentments and decades of rivalry, offer some of the show's most engaging moments. Rahul Kohli as Ed, Gat's uncle and the voice of moral clarity, adds depth to an otherwise insular world. Visually, the show excels from sunlit beaches to ivy-covered mansions and haunting dream sequences create a setting that feels both idyllic and suffocating. The voiceovers, though sometimes too lyrical, help paint the emotional dissonance of a girl who once thought her life was perfect. Yet We Were Liars is not without missteps. Some episodes meander, particularly in the middle, and the slow pacing risks losing viewers who aren't already familiar with the book's twist. The show's flirtation with horror through disorienting edits and eerie visuals, meant to symbolise Cadence's mental state, doesn't always land and feels out of sync with the emotional tone. But what ultimately saves the series is its final act. As Cadence's memories return, the pieces fall into place with a gut-punch that, while softened slightly by uneven buildup, still delivers emotionally. The last two episodes are haunting and heartbreaking, reminding us why Lockhart's original twist left readers stunned. We Were Liars is not a flawless adaptation, but it's a deeply affecting one. Its exploration of generational trauma, loss of innocence, and the facade of perfection resonates even when its structure falters. It may leave some viewers yearning for tighter storytelling or a clearer narrative focus, but its emotional payoff, especially for those going in unspoiled, is worth the ride. Whether you're a fan of the book or stepping into Beechwood for the first time, We Were Liars offers a melancholic mystery that lingers after the credits roll. And if a second season is on the cards, it's the Sinclair sisters not just the Liars, we hope to see more of. First Published:
Cosmopolitan
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
We Were Liars season 1 ending explained
Those who read E. Lockhart's sensational novel We Were Liars before it was adapted by Julie Plec for Prime Video are probably feeling pretty smug right now. The show, just like its source material, is keeping a major secret that isn't revealed until mid-way through the final episode. If you haven't read the book and are feeling majorly WTF, or want to skip to the proverbial last page and get spoiled, here's what you need to know about the ending of We Were Liars. At the beginning of the season, seventeen year old Cadence Sinclair, played by Emily Alyn Lind, returns to her family's private island after sustaining a head injury and post-traumatic amnesia the previous year. Cadence has been struggling to remember what happened during Summer 16–the label that "the liars" she and her cousin Mirren, her cousin Johnny, and her boyfriend (and Johnny's future stepbrother) Gat give to the summer when they were all sixteen years old. She thinks that returning to the island will jog her memory, but everything feels off. Why did her grandfather rebuild their island mansion into an early modern monstrosity? Why didn't her cousins or Gat call her all year while she was recovering? Her mother tells her that every time anyone tells her what happened, she has a mental episode, blacks out and forgets again. This feels a bit convenient, given that the Sinclair family way is to pretend that bad things never happened. In the We Were Liars finale, Cadence works with her cousins and Gat to remember what happened without triggering herself so bad that she forgets it all over again. Leading into the finale, Cadence remembers one key thing: fire. In the penultimate episode, Cadence at least remembers that the liars burned down Clairmont, the family mansion, as a symbolic "f**k you" to decades of family rivalry and expectations. They decide that the Sinclairs need a clean slate. The four liars thought they had a good plan. They split up spreading boat fuel around the house. Gat prepares a getaway vehicle. They were all supposed to light their matches and run out of the house at the stroke of midnight. But the drunk, wealthy teenagers made some crucial, and deadly miscalculations. The first thing that Cadence remembers is that all four of them forgot that there were two drugged-up dogs sleeping in the basement!! The moment Cadence, who was on the ground floor, ran outside she heard their cries. She heads back inside to get them, and sustained a head injury, but it was too late. She ran back outside, bleeding and burning. Cadence demands that Johnny, Gat, and Mirren tell her the rest. What else didn't go to plan? They didn't think about how fast fire spreads and smoke rises. Creating a safe exit by avoiding the main staircase was not enough. Mirren hesitated to save one of her paintings that her mom kept–proving to her in that moment that her mom really did care about her. Johnny hesitated looking at childhood photos and smashing things with a golf club. They were trapped. When nobody showed up, Gat left the boat and followed them inside the burning house. They also forgot about the gas main line. Once the fire spread far enough to hit it, the house exploded. This is what catapulted Cadence into the ocean where she was found. She was the only survivor. Gat, Johnny, Mirren, and the dogs all died in the fire. Yup! For all of the Summer 17 timeline, a.k.a. the scenes where Cadence has brown hair, she has been talking and hanging out and arguing with their ghosts. You may have noticed throughout that while they might try to talk to the rest of them family, nobody else talks to them or sees them. In the final episode, it becomes more and more apparent that they're not just ghosts they like... represent Cadence's trauma and suppressed memories. They are ghosts, though, and ghosts who were afraid of moving on once Cadence didn't need them anymore. So they do it together. They hold hands, jump off the dock, and vanish... One of the final things that Cadence remembers about Summer 16 is that, before she ran out of the house, she hesitated too. Greed took over and she ran upstairs to steal her grandmother's black pearl necklace. She thinks this is why Gat didn't see her outside when they planned and ran into the fire. She blames herself for his death. Ghost Gat absolves her of that guilt. He could have saved himself. He also went against the plan. (Since Cadence ran back inside the house seconds later for the dogs, I personally don't think running upstairs made a huge difference. Gat would have seen her go back inside. He would have seen that Johnny and Mirren didn't make it out and gone to help regardless. Speaking of the dogs, that's the guilt she should be feeling. The four liars made some stupid mistakes that got them killed–the dogs didn't do anything! Go apologise to their ghosts!!) Harris, who somehow escaped the hospital and found Cadence on the beach, kind of softly blackmails his granddaughter. He knows that she's guilty of arson, animal cruelty, and involuntary manslaughter. He urges her to tell the version of the story he has been telling for a year: the fire was an accident and Cadence got hurt trying to save the others. Keeping her family's horrible secrets is her burden now. At the end of the show, Harris asks Cadence to talk to a reporter doing a profile on their family, played by We Were Liars author E. Lockhart herself. Cadence refuses, telling Harris and the family that she's not interested in fairy tales anymore, and takes off in a boat by herself. She tosses Tipper's necklace into the ocean like it's Titanic. This is a triumphant moment and all; I'm so happy that Cadence came to that realisation, but... surely that doesn't mean she's going to turn herself in to the police, or come clean to her mum, Ed, and her aunts about how the other liars died? It's fair to assume that Harris won't actually do it himself and voluntarily hurt his legacy like that. But Cadence is experiencing a moment of freedom at the end of We Were Liars, not a lifetime of it. She's ultimately trapped too. The We Were Liars finale leaves things open for at least one other season in two different ways. In one of the rare moments we see the Sinclair sisters actually deal with the loss of their children, Bess tells Carrie that she thinks the fire was punishment for what happened on her Summer 16 when they were teenagers. Bess says that there's just one caveat: if the Sinclair sisters are being punished for what they did, why was Penny spared? Mysterious! (There is a prequel novel, titled Family of Liars, that was published in 2022...) Then, in an even more harrowing moment, we see Carrie secretly take pills while packing up to leave the island. She's off the wagon and hiding it from Ed. She can also see Johnny's ghost, who tells her he can't leave just yet. The way she says "I thought you'd left" lowkey implies that she's been seeing his ghost, like Cadence, the whole time during Summer 17 too. That's enough unfinished business for a We Were Liars Season two, don't you think? We Were Liars is available on Prime Video now
