As the country unlocks and live performance returns to London, Korean dancers will once again make the journey to the UK and take to the stage at The Place.
A Festival of Korean Dance will introduce London audiences to Company SIGA, one of the most talented up-and-coming dance companies in their home country, and present a world premiere of a new full length show from Sung Im Her, a London-based Korean choreographer who draws experience from living in Korea, Belgium and the UK. A festival of parallels and opposites, the pieces explore balance, individuality and belonging, and the physical limits of the human body before falling back to zero. Continuing the partnership between The Place, Korean Cultural Centre UK and the Korea Arts Management Service, the festival is now in its fourth edition, having previously showcased the works of Jin Yeob Cha, choreographer of the 2018 Winter Olympics ceremonies, and Art Project Bora.
The Festival opens with Sung Im Her’s W.A.Y (RE-WORK) (17 – 18 Sept), and followed by a double bill of Company SIGA’s Equilibrium and ZERO (23 – 24 Sept).
Pertinent after a long period of time reflecting on being alone and being together, W.A.Y (RE-WORK) is a piece about the tension between the need for individuality and the longing to be part of something bigger than ourselves. Uncompromisingly intense, both for the dancers and the viewer, the work cycles through a myriad of psychological and social geometries, illustrating our uncertainty and fear, but also joy and sense of growth when addressing this tension in our lives. Sung Im Her trained in Korea and is now London-based. She lived for several years in Belgium, performing with companies including Les Ballets C de la B and Needcompany, and choreographing for Abattoir Fermé. Her new work, performed by four dancers and one live musician, has music from Belgian composer Husk Husk. She has previously performed at The Place in her sell-out show Nutcrusher, and was commissioned by Counterpoint Arts to create site-specific work Human Wall for Refugee Week at the V&A Museum in 2018.
Performed as a double bill, Equilibrium is a duet playing on the ideas of balance, and ZERO is a beautifully crafted piece for six dancers. In Equilibrium, Company SIGA performers express their evolved selves in relation to nature and the human persona that have gone through infinite cycles of equilibrium and chaos. In Zero, they showcase the ecstasy of moving towards a higher level of freedom, exceeding physical limitations, before returning back to “ZERO”.
Company SIGA are one of the most talented up and coming companies in Korea. SIGA is an acronym combining the two Korean words, “시나브로 [sinabro]”, which means ‘little by little' and "가슴에 [gaseume]" which means 'into the heart'. The company practice a democratic working style that puts the movements and thoughts of all members together into one complete piece of art. Company SIGA keep ’Speed’, ‘Basic’ and ‘Body’ as the main three keywords of their group dance pieces, creating natural pace and flow.
Eddie Nixon, Artistic Director at The Place says "We're delighted to be partnering with our friends at the Korean Cultural Centre and the Korea Arts Management Service to bring the best of the rich Korean dance scene to London once again. Both Sung Im Her and Company SIGA have, in different ways, intense, hypnotic styles of choreography and we're so pleased that audiences in London will get to experience this live.”
Jungwoo Lee, Director at the Korean Cultural Centre UK says “We’re delighted about bringing back some of Korea’s foremost contemporary dance companies to The Place again and having a live festival in London this year. Company SIGA and Sung Im Her are very excited to perform in front of UK audiences at the festival. We hope that our dance festival will give UK audiences an opportunity to meet the incredible talent that exists within Korea’s contemporary dance scene.
Doil Kim, Korea Arts Management Service President says "We very much appreciate the efforts of The Place, the Korean Cultural Centre UK, and the respective artists who have worked so hard to introduce Korean contemporary dance to UK audiences despite the on-going Covid-19 global crisis. These artists have continued to adapt and develop even when the possibility for performance was restricted. I hope that the showcases of Sung Im Her and Company SIGA send a hopeful message to Londoners about the re-opening of live theatre.
A Festival of Korean Dance
17 – 24 September 2021
The Place, 17 Duke’s Rd, London, WC1H 9PY
Tickets £17 (£13 concs) Early Bird £12 (£8 concs)
020 7121 1100 | www.theplace.org.uk
W.A.Y (RE-WORK) | Sung Im Her 17 – 18 September | 7.30pm
Uncompromisingly intense this performance sees four dancers use repetitive movement alongside an entrancing composition by Belgian musician Husk Husk, to explore the human need for individuality and the longing to be part of something bigger than oneself. The piece flows between a myriad of uncertainty and fear as well as joy, to illustrate this conflict in life.
Duration: 50mins
Post-Show Talk, Fri 17 Sep: Join the choreographer Sung Im Her after the show for a discussion about her work. Approx. 20minsDuration: 50mins
Post-Show Talk, Fri 17 Sep: Join the choreographer Sung Im Her after the show for a discussion about her work. Approx. 20mins. The post-show talk will be BSL interpreted and have an interpreter who will translate Korean to English.
Choreographer: Sung Im Her
Dancers: Iris Chan, Martha Gardner, Yanki Yau, Sung Im Her
Original composition and live music: Husk Husk Dramaturg: Philip Stanier
Original lighting design: Hyung Sun Tak
Supported by the Korean Arts Council, ARKO Partner and the Flemish Government
Residencies with Cambridge Junction, Winchester University
ZERO & Equilibrium (Double Bill) | Company SIGA 23 – 24 September | 7.30pm
In ZERO, the company uses high energy rhythmic movement to draw the audience into a captivating performance that examines the potential of what the body can do when pushed, and what it can create through dance.
Equilibrium plays with the idea of balance through a cycle of erratic physicality and intense moments of stillness. The work is inspired by the chaos and restored order that humans experience throughout their lifetime.
Duration: 55mins (ZERO 30mins) | (Equilibrium 25mins)
Post-Show Talk, Thu 23 Sep: Join Company SIGA after the show for a discussion about their work. Approx. 20mins. The post-show talk will be BSL interpreted and have an interpreter who will translate Korean to English.
ZERO
Choreography: Hyuk KWON
Dancers: Soyeon KIM, Heajin KIM, Hyelim BYEON, Jihyeong AN, Jinyoung YANG, Heejong IM
Music: bluechan Lighting Design: Yujin HONG
Costume: Wooseong KIM Producer: Hana JO
Equilibrium
Choreography: Jaeyoung LEE
Dancers: Hyuk KWON, Jaeyoung LEE
Music: bluechan
Lighting Design: Yujin HONG
Producer: Hana JO
