A well-established staple of the dance calendar, A Festival of Korean Dance is returning for its eighth year, bringing five companies to the UK including Korea’s premier dance company, Korea National Contemporary Dance Company (KNCDC), who will be headlining with the festival’s largest show to date with a company of 17 dancers.
London favourite Modern Table will combine Shakespeare with traditional Korean song and a live rock band, and festival favourite Melancholy Dance return with a show exploring falling following last year’s Flight. The festival is completed by two shows using video: one to explore the gap between different dimensions in a returning show from Choi x Kang Project, and one creating a sensory interplay between the natural and the artificial a UK debut from Ji-hye Chung. The festival is presented by the Place and the Korean Cultural Centre UK.
Opening the festival at The Place (7 & 8 May) as part of the company’s European tour, Jungle features a 17-strong company, gathered onstage for an extraordinary spectacle of vitality. The dancers embody all the elements of the jungle, from the animals, plants, winds and lights, to the humans who navigate it. Their movements, with all their senses and responses, are pure and raw. Based on ‘Process Init’, an unconventional movement research method developed by Korea National Contemporary Dance Company’s artistic director Sung-young Kim, Jungle is full of wildly instinctive movements which expand and unfurl, rich with the energy of survival.
Next, Kontemporary Korea is a double bill of 0g (zero grams) and A Complementary Set_Disappearing with An Impact (9 May Pavilion Dance South West, 15 May Dance City). 0g (zero grams) utilises the principle of ‘free fall movement’ to uncover the meaning of life anew within monotonous daily routines, inspired by the repetitive and seemingly pointless actions of the mythical figure Sisyphus. Following last year’s Flight, Melancholy Dance Company this year plays with gravity. Joining it, A Complementary Set_Disappearing with An Impact, seen at The Place in 2023, is an experimental piece using video and performance to explore the gap between different dimensions. Images filmed live on stage, re-broadcast on a screen behind the performers, battle with their physical presence for attention.
At The Place, 0g (zero grams) will be paired with Shinsegae (13 May), a choreographic UK debut from Ji-hye Chung, who trained in the UK and performed in residency at The Place. The lecture-style solo performance dissects our most unconscious everyday activity - the act of walking. Shinsegae, which means ‘new world’ in Korean, distinctively incorporates video imagery to represent the human body with a computer game, creating a sensory interplay between the natural and the artificial.
Closing the festival will be London favourites, all-male dance troupe Modern Table (Darkness Poomba, Man of Steel, Velocity) with Ham:beth (20 May Lowry, 23 & 24 May The Place). Loosely inspired by depictions of madness in Hamlet and Macbeth, Ham:beth combines traditional Korean songs with a live rock band to create a powerful gig atmosphere. Seven dancers in slick suits battle against the pressure to conform. Claiming their right to desire, their quests push them into becoming lone heroes as fast and furious choreography builds the thrilling sensation of relentless energy, danger and emotional charge.
Dr. Seunghye Sun, Director of the Korean Cultural Centre UK, said “As the Director of the KCCUK, I am delighted to co-host the 8th Festival of Korean Dance with five Korean companies. We are particularly excited to see a wide variety of contemporary Korean dance performances in multiple cities across the UK as part of the festival, further enriching the cultural connections between Korea and the UK.”
Jaeyeon Park, Senior Producer at the Korean Cultural Centre UK, said, “From the raw energy of Korea National Contemporary Dance Company’s Jungle to Modern Table’s dynamic interpretation of Shakespeare’s classics with live rock in Ham:beth, we’re excited to be celebrating the bold creativity of Korea’s contemporary dance scene. With innovative works like Ji-hye Chung’s Shinsegae and the return of Melancholy Dance Company and Choi x Kang Project, the festival continues to push artistic boundaries and foster cultural exchange between Korea and the UK.”
Christina Elliot, Head of Programming and Producing at The Place, said, “This year’s festival showcases the depth of contemporary choreography in Korea. Each of the artists is engaged in deep investigation into the human condition, which they’re inviting us to experience through their performance – from Sung-young Kim’s movement research ‘Process Init’ in Jungle, to Ji-hye Chung’s using of computer gaming to dissect of the act of walking, to the sheer power of Jaeduk Kim’s music & choreography, this year’s programme is rich with distinct perspectives on the world.”
A Festival of Korean Dance was established in 2018 as part of the Korea/UK Season, and The Place and the Korean Culture Centre UK have been partnered on the festival year on year. In 2025, the festival is presented with support from Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE). The growing popularity of the festival has coincided with the booming global success of the cultural phenomenon known as Hallyu – the wave of Korean pop culture. Over the span of seven remarkable years, the festival has proudly welcomed the participation of 24 esteemed companies, among them the prestigious Korea National Contemporary Dance Company, Art Project BORA, Modern Table, and Collective A. Together, they have presented a total of 26 dance pieces, accompanied by an impressive selection of 12 evocative dance films and documentaries.
Listings information
The Place, London www.theplace.org.uk | 020 7121 1100
The Place, 17 Duke’s Rd, London, WC1H 9PY
Pavilion Dance South West www.pdsw.ork.uk | 01202 203630
Bournemouth BH1 2BU
Dance City, Newcastle www.dancecity.co.uk | 0191 261 0505
Temple St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4BR
Lowry, Salford www.thelowry.com | 0843 208 6010
Pier 8, The Quays, Salford, Manchester, Greater Manchester M50 3AZ
Jungle by Korea National Contemporary Dance Company
7 & 8 May The Place
A seventeen-strong company gathers onstage for an extraordinary spectacle of vitality. Based on ‘Process Init’, an unconventional movement research method developed by Korea National Contemporary Dance Company’s artistic director Sung-young Kim, Jungle is full of wildly instinctive movements which expand and unfurl, rich with the energy of survival. The dancers embody all the elements of the jungle, from the animals, plants, winds and lights, to the humans who navigate it. Their movements, with all their senses and responses, are pure and raw.
After strong receptions from audiences in France, Italy, Austria, Kazakhstan and the UAE in 2024, Jungle has its UK premiere at The Place as part of a new European tour.
Choreographer Sung-young Kim Composer and music director Marihiko Hara
Scenographer Jae-hun You
Performers Seong-ryong Kang, Seung-hyun Kang, Min-ah Kim, Yoon-mee Kim, Yun-hyun Kim, Min-jung Sung, Ji-yeon Yang, Da-jeong Yu, Kyun-gyub Lee, Ji-soo Lee, Jae-woo Jung, Ju-ryung Jung, Hyun-do Jo, Young-don Cheon, Yeon-jin Choi, Ji-hye Ha and Jee-hyun Hong
Age recommendation: 7+ | Duration 60 mins
Kontemporary Korea Double bill: 0g (zero grams) by Melancholy Dance Company & A Complementary Set_Disappearing with An Impact by Choi x Kang Project
9 May Pavilion Dance South West
15 May Dance City
0g (zero grams)
Inspired by the repetitive and seemingly pointless actions of the mythical figure Sisyphus, 0g utilises the principle of ‘free fall movement’ to uncover the meaning of life anew within monotonous daily routines.
Melancholy Dance Company, founded by choreographer Cheol-in Jeong, plays with gravity through this principle of ‘free fall’ and applies it to various parts of the body, experimenting with extreme situations and dynamic movements, which are often dazzlingly virtuosic. 0g is the winner of the 2020 Dance Arts presented by Chum (Dance), a monthly Korean magazine specialising in contemporary dance.
Choreographer Cheol-in Jeong
Performers Ji-soo Ryu, Gyung-jae Mun, Cheol-in Jeong, Young-sang Ju and Joong-keun Jeon
Producer Min-young Kim
Sound director Tae-kyung Choi
Age recommendation: 9+ | Duration: 30 mins
Are we able to control those outside of our gaze?
Choi x Kang Project’s experimental piece uses video and performance to explore the gap between different dimensions. Choreographers Minsun Choi and Jinan Kang focus on connecting with the body through multidisciplinary experiments and external devices, often drawing on collaborations with artists from other fields, and finding humour in the gap between what we see and what we expect to see.
Images filmed live on stage, re-broadcast on a screen behind the performers, battle with their physical presence for our attention. Sound becomes noise as it loses its power to exist as music, and theatre’s limitations are tested and revealed.
Choreographers and performers Min-sun Choi and Jin-an Kang
Filmer and performer Tae-kyung Kim Scenographer Ro-wa Jeong
Music Yo-han Ko Stage manager Eun-jin Jo
Age recommendation: 12+ | Duration: 25 mins
Double bill: 0g (Zero grams) by Melancholy Dance Company & Shinsegae by Jihye Lee
13 May The Place
0g (Zer0gram)
Inspired by the repetitive and seemingly pointless actions of the mythical figure Sisyphus, 0g utilises the principle of ‘free fall movement’ to uncover the meaning of life anew within monotonous daily routines.
Melancholy Dance Company, founded by choreographer Cheol-in Jeong, plays with gravity through this principle of ‘free fall’ and applies it to various parts of the body, experimenting with extreme situations and dynamic movements, which are often dazzlingly virtuosic. 0g is the winner of the 2020 Dance Arts presented by Chum (Dance), a monthly Korean magazine specialising in contemporary dance.
Choreographer Cheol-in Jeong
Performers Jisoo, Ryu, Gyungjae, Mun, Cheolin, Jeong, Youngsang, Ju and Joong Keun Jeon
Producer Minyoung Ki Sound Director Taehyun, choi
Age recommendation: 9+ | Duration: 30 mins
Shinsegae
A lecture-style solo performance which dissects our most unconscious everyday activity - the act of walking. Shinsegae, which means ‘new world’ in Korean, distinctively incorporates video imagery to represent the human body with a computer game, creating a sensory interplay between the natural and the artificial. Ji-hye Chung encourages reflection on the evolution of walking and the function of bipedalism, offering us a chance to discover a ‘shinsegae’ of walking.
Choreographer and performancer Ji-hye Chung Sound: Jundo
Lighting design: Sung-hee Yu Outside eye Lyon-eun Kwon
Game advisory Seung-back Shin Project management Seo-ha Kim
Age recommendation: 5+ | Duration 25 mins
Ham:beth by Modern Table
20 May Lowry
23 & 24 May The Place
Boy-band meets Shakespearean drama in this energetic all-male show by Modern Table. Eight dancers in slick suits battle against the pressure to conform. Claiming their right to desire, their quests push them into becoming lone heroes. Loosely inspired by depictions of madness in Hamlet and Macbeth, Ham:beth combines traditional Korean songs with a live rock band to create a powerful gig atmosphere. Fast and furious choreography builds the thrilling sensation of relentless energy, danger and emotional charge.
Modern Table is one of London’s favourite Korean dance companies, following brilliantly received performances of Men of Steel at Greenwich & Docklands International Festival in 2017, and Velocity at The Place in 2019.
Choreographer and composer Jae-duk Kim
Performers Jae-duk Kim, Eo-reen Lee, Cheol-han Jeong, Sey-eong Eorm, Jun-seok Lee, Hyeong-kyu Choi and Dong-gyu Kim
Musicians Suk-gui Yoon (Vocal), Seong-eun Heo (Drum), Chul-joo Huh (Guitar) and Hyun-soo Kim (Bass)
Light designer Jang-han Lee Sound director: Dong-jun Been
Age recommendation: 12+ | Duration: 60 mins
