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Korea Herald
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Liquid Sound strips traditional street performance to its core
Performance collective reimagines pungmul through contemporary movement In pungmul, a traditional Korean form of folk music and dance, the performer leading the troupe wears a hat called sangmo topped with a long paper streamer known as piji that can stretch nearly 180 centimeters. As the drumming builds and the rhythms swell, the streamer whirls in perfect arcs and waves, never tangling, serving as a kinetic emblem of pungmul's identity. But what happens when you take away that visible identity, wondered Lee In-bo, director of the performance collective Liquid Sound. What remains in the body? And how can it expand from there? To find an answer, Liquid Sound deconstructs elements of pungmul and rebuilds them through the language of contemporary dance in 'OffOn: Yeonhee Project 2,' presented Friday and Saturday at Seoul's Sejong Center for the Performing Arts as part of its summer festival, Sync Next. Yeonhee, also spelled yeonhui (literally "play" or "performance" in Korean), is a broad term for traditional performing arts such as pungmul, mask dance, shamanistic rituals, puppet theater, traditional circus and folk music, and dance often rooted in folk rituals and community celebrations. 'From the very beginning, we asked our performers, 'What if we took away your instruments, your costumes — everything you're most confident in. Could you still exist onstage, purely as movement?'' Lee said in an interview with The Korea Herald last week. He called their creative process the 'OffOn' approach: taking something 'off' from traditional performance and attaching it 'on' to something new, in search of what Lee calls the DNA of traditional performance. It is the group's second contemporary dance project following 'Long: Yeonhee Project 1,' which they showcased last year at the Aurillac International Street Theatre Festival in France. In this genre-crossing Yeonhee Project series, traditional pungmul artists and dancers deconstruct movements that once flowed instinctively, studying them bit by bit, without the familiar music, rhythms, costumes or instruments. 'It's challenging even for seasoned performers,' said choreographer Shim Ju-young. 'They have to search for the movement itself — down to the core of their bodies. But it's also fascinating: you realize that spinning the sangmo requires precise, rhythmic head movements executed in distinctly different ways.' The show draws on various elements of pungmul and folk performance. One segment focuses on seoljanggu, traditionally a solo janggu drum showcase, reinterpreting its rhythmic footwork through hand gestures. Another segment references piroji, a moment in folk performance when female dancers take the stage, but here, male dancers join them, layering the rhythm with new textures. Shim, who trained in both Korean and contemporary dance, said she was fascinated by the possibilities. 'Even just visually, there's so much to play with. Each traditional element holds endless creative potential once you break it apart.' Founded in 2015, Liquid Sound aims to explore traditional Korean arts with diverse genres, from melding avant-garde gugak with electronic music, to contemporary dance, installation art and Western classical traditions. The name Liquid Sound reflects the group's sensory ambition of merging tactile fluidity with the auditory experience of music. 'It's about how we meet the audience,' Lee said. 'Traditional performers used to approach audiences in very direct, interactive ways. We're asking how to do that now — whether by adopting new methods or, sometimes, returning to older, simpler ones.' Next year, the company plans to continue its experimental exploration of traditional performance with the third edition of the Yeonhee Project. The two envision a future performance in which yeonhee artists and dancers blend so seamlessly that they create an entirely new genre. 'Rather than a technical blending of traditional and modern elements, I hope for a day when the fusion is so natural that you can't tell them apart," Shim said. Liquid Sound will take its work to several major festivals later this year, including the Busan Street Art Festival in September, the Performing Arts Market in Seoul in October, and an outdoor performance in Myeongdong hosted by the National Theater Company of Korea.
Korea Herald
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Three theatrical worlds under one roof
This weekend, theatergoers have a rare opportunity to sample three vastly different stage productions — all playing under one roof at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul: one a time-tested classic with over three decades of history and two freshly premiered works that opened less than a month ago. Unfortunately, none of these productions offer subtitles or translation services, so fully appreciating the performances may be difficult without Korean fluency, particularly given their dialogue- and lyric-heavy nature. "Phantom" The musical "Phantom" by Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit premiered in 1991, following the blockbuster success of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'The Phantom of the Opera.' While both works draw inspiration from Gaston Leroux's classic novel, Webber's version became a global phenomenon, overshadowing 'Phantom.' Yet 'Phantom' offers a compelling and distinctive reimagining of the same story, shedding new light on the Phantom's inner world. It's well worth experiencing not only as a point of comparison but also as an example of how a familiar narrative can be transformed through a different artistic lens. In particular, the Korean production of "Phantom," presented by EMK Musical Company, has taken creative liberties to craft its own distinctive interpretation, earning widespread acclaim over the past decade. Now in its fifth and final run, the production returns with powerhouse vocalists Park Hyo-shin, Kai, and Jeon Dong-seok, who bring stirring intensity to the show's vocally and musically demanding score. EMK has confirmed that this season will mark the conclusion of this version. "Phantom" runs at the Sejong Grand Theater until Aug. 11, with no performances on Mondays. Tickets range from 70,000 won to 170,000 won ($51.50 to $125). "The First Great Show" Presented by the Seoul Metropolitan Musical Theatre, 'The First Great Show' is a whimsical and heartfelt homage to Korea's early musical theater. Set in the 1960s, when the idea of a 'musical' was just beginning to take root in Korea, the production follows director Yoo Deok‑han and producer Kim Young‑woong as they attempt to stage the nation's first-ever musical. This fresh, nostalgic production offers laughter and insight into Korea's theatrical origins. Running through June 15 at the Sejong M Theater, the show features a stellar creative team, including director Kim Dong‑yeon. Kim led the original Korean staging of 'Maybe Happy Ending,' which won six awards at the Tony Awards with its Broadway adaptation. Ticket prices range from 60,000 won to 80,000 won. "I'm Nowhere" At the Sejong S Theater, Seoul Metropolitan Theatre's new original, 'I'm Nowhere,' boldly confronts a haunting social reality: the lives of the forgotten. Written and directed by renowned theater-maker Ko Sun-woong, the play is inspired by a newspaper article on 195 unclaimed deaths — individuals who lived and died like ghosts, unnoticed by society. The story centers on a woman who escapes years of domestic violence, sheds her identity, and drifts through the margins of society, only to die alone and become a literal ghost. Through her posthumous gaze, the play explores what it means to be unseen in both life and death. For this play, Ko takes an inventive, meta-theatrical approach, where actors break the fourth wall and openly acknowledge the artifice of theater. The play runs until June 22 except on Mondays. Ticket prices range from 40,000 won to 50,000 won. gypark@
Korea Herald
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Don't rain on my opera: Seoul to stage ‘The Magic Flute' under the stars
Third open-air production aims to broaden opera's appeal What if it rains during an open-air opera performance? That's the question for the organizers of the Seoul Metropolitan Opera's outdoor production of Mozart's "Die Zauberflote" (The Magic Flute), scheduled for June 1 and 2 at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul. With fingers crossed -- and some cautious optimism drawn from weather data -- they're hoping the skies will stay clear, not just for comfort, but because they have a grand plan for transforming the city center into an open-air opera stage, part of a broader effort to make opera more accessible to the public. For the first time, the main staircase of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts will be turned into a stage, making the performance easily visible from anywhere in the square. A five-meter-high LED screen will also be installed, allowing people across the square to enjoy the performance. Rain would be a major letdown for the roughly 6,000 people expected to attend over the two-day run, including the lucky 1,980 who secured free tickets when they became available online on May 9. All the tickets were gone in under a minute. According to the organizers, another 4,000 people are expected to gather around the stage without tickets, just as they did last year. Rain disrupted the first edition of the open-air opera in 2023, forcing performers to sing to a pre-recorded orchestra track. Last year, however, the company's gamble paid off: 'Cavalleria Rusticana' went ahead as planned, thanks to what artistic director Park Hye-jin called a strategic choice based on years of weather data. This year, the decision was trickier. 'Gwanghwamun Square has become a popular venue, and our scheduling window was limited,' Park said. 'Among the dates offered, we chose the one with the lowest historical chance of rain.' In the event of more than 5 millimeters of rain, the performances will be canceled, according to the organizers. Should that happen, another group likely to be disappointed is the citizen chorus -- a 137-member ensemble drawn from four local choirs who will take the stage with Hankyung arte Philharmonic under the baton of conductor Kim Kwang-hyun. Most of the citizen ensemble have little to no experience performing in a professional opera production, making the opportunity especially meaningful. The size of the citizen ensemble has grown significantly -- from 79 members in 2023 to 123 last year -- in response to overwhelming public interest and the organizers' desire to broaden community participation. 'I never imagined myself even watching an opera production, let alone singing in one,' said Kim Sok-woo, who is participating in the production for a second year as a member of the citizen ensemble. 'Last year, I brought my mother and mother-in-law to the performance. It was their first opera in the nearly 80 years of their lives. They loved it and asked me to invite them again this year.' The citizen ensemble will be joined by the Winner Opera Chorus, a professional vocal group. Their joint appearance, said Park, will highlight the transformative power of choral music. 'There's a unique power in choral singing -- many people coming together on stage, not just professional vocalists but everyday citizens as well," Park said. Directed by Jang Jae-ho, the production will feature tenors Kim Hyo-jong and Konstantin Lee as Tamino, and sopranos Kim Soon-young and Yang Gui-bee as Pamina. The role of the Queen of the Night, who sings the iconic aria 'Der Holle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen,' will be shared by Lee Ha-na and Celine Mun. Now in its third year, the open-air opera series is presented by the Seoul Metropolitan Opera, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Both performances will start at 7:30 p.m. Reserved seats not claimed by 7:00 p.m. on the day of the performance will be released to those waiting onsite.
Korea Herald
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Blockbusters with a baton: film concerts bring screen legends to the stage
'Harry Potter,' 'Attack on Titan' and Disney soundtracks to be performed in Seoul The "Harry Potter" Film Concert series continues its spellbinding journey, returning to the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul with two back-to-back installments. From May 16 to 18, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in Concert" takes center stage, followed by "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 in Concert" from Oct. 24 to 26. These performances invite audiences to an elevated experience of the beloved film series, with a live orchestra performing the movie's full original score. Conductor Young Shih-heung, who has conducted the series in Korea since its debut in 2019, returns with the Seongnam Philharmonic Orchestra. The sixth installment's music by Nicholas Hooper, nominated for a Grammy, and the seventh's score by Academy Award-winner Alexandre Desplat, known for "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and "The Shape of Water," will be performed in their entirety. Tickets are available through the Sejong Center's website and major ticketing platforms. Prices range from 30,000 won to 150,000 won ($22-108). A limited number of premium 'suite' seats, offering enhanced viewing experiences, are available exclusively via the Sejong Center. 'Disney in Concert': A family affair On Saturday and Sunday, "Disney in Concert: Beyond the Magic" will take place at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul. Designed for family audiences, the concert blends heartwarming visuals from Disney and Pixar's most iconic films with live vocal performances by some of Korea's top musical theater artists and the Ditto Orchestra led by conductor Lee Byung-uk. The program features timeless classics such as "The Little Mermaid," "The Lion King," "Aladdin" and "Beauty and the Beast," as well as fan-favorite hits from "Coco," "Moana," "Frozen" and more. Notably, songs from "Moana 2," a 2024 release that drew over 3.6 million viewers in Korea, will be performed live for the first time. The cast includes musical actress Lee Areum-sol, praised for her pitch-perfect dubbing of the character Matangi in "Moana 2," alongside Song Eun-hye of "Phantom of the Opera," rising star Kim Kyung-rok and charismatic performer Lee Jong-suk. Tickets for "Disney in Concert" at Sejong Center range from 44,000 won to 110,000 won, and are available through the Sejong Arts Center website and affiliated ticketing sites. The same concert will also take place at the Geoje Arts Center in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, on May 15. Ticket prices are between 60,000 won and 80,000 won. 'Attack on Titan': Anime epic goes symphonic For fans of darker, high-intensity narratives, "Attack on Titan: Beyond the Walls World Tour" heads to Korea May 31 and June 1 for four concerts. Featuring original music from the anime, composed by Hiroyuki Sawano and Kohta Yamamoto, the performance fuses rock energy with full symphonic force. Signature tracks such as "at'aek ON taitn," "counter・attack-mankind," and "Footsteps of Doom" will be performed live, accompanied by synchronized scenes from the anime series. The Korean leg of the world tour, which kicked off April in Los Angeles and visits 25 cities worldwide through November, will take place at Korea University's Hwajeong Gymnasium in Seoul. Tickets for "Attack on Titan: Beyond the Walls" are available through Interpark and range from 66,000 won to 132,000 won. gypark@
Korea Herald
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Explore emotional duality of high-profile choreographer at Asia premiere of double bill
Inger sees bright future for Korean contemporary dance scene Acclaimed Swedish dancer-turned-choreographer Johan Inger says he is impressed with Korea's growing commitment to contemporary dance and sees a bright future for the newly established Seoul Metropolitan Ballet. The 57-year-old artist is in Seoul for the Asia premiere of his double bill, 'Walking Mad' and 'Bliss,' set to run Friday through May 18 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Following Ohad Naharin's 'Decadance' in March, Inger is the latest high-profile figure in the company's bold lineup for this year. 'In Korea, you're opening new dance companies, and in the West, people are closing (them). I think it's a great initiative and should be really highlighted,' said Inger during a press conference Wednesday in Seoul. Inger, who began his career with the Royal Swedish Ballet before joining the Netherlands Dance Theater under Jiri Kylian, made his choreographic debut with NDT 2 in 1995. He went on to win the prestigious Benois de la Danse award for choreography in 2016. Inger said the two works, created 25 and 10 years ago respectively, are very different. 'I think it's an exciting evening because they show two sides of me as a choreographer,' he said. The evening begins with "Walking Mad," a more theatrical and emotionally charged piece set to Ravel's Bolero. Inger described it as 'a journey into the unknown,' full of humor, drama and human emotion. 'To me, it is a journey of a man going through a world, or a dream, or a state of mind and encountering different personalities but (still) searching. It's a little bit like Orpheus and Eurydice, being pulled back into another place and keep on searching.' The second piece, 'Bliss,' set to Keith Jarrett's Koln Concert, reflects a more stripped-down, introspective side of Inger's choreography. 'I wanted to create something very pure and simple -- just present in the moment,' he said. 'It also represents a time for me, something carefree. I wanted to capture that spirit of the time, in the costumes, in the playfulness and in the improvisation.' For Inger, music is at the heart of every work: He sees it as a partner with which he engages in conversation. He encouraged audiences, especially those unfamiliar with contemporary dance, to approach it as they would music. 'I think dance is very much like music. You hear a piece and have one interpretation of what it means to you, but the person next to you may have a completely different one,' he said. 'So if I have done my work right as a choreographer, it will tap not into the logical parts of your brain, but into the emotional parts.' What continues to drive his work, Inger said, are human beings and human relationships. 'Our strengths, our weaknesses, our ugliness, our beauty -- all the contradictions that make us who we are. That inspires me. I think that's the fuel that keeps me going, that keeps me exploring stories,' he said. hwangdh@
