[Review] Kontemporary Korea, A Festival of Korean Dance – original, cutting-edge

A Festival of Korean Dance is a welcome return to The Place, especially with an opening piece like Flight by Melancholy Dance Company, founded in 2016 by choreographer Cheol-in Jeong. Flight is a work that uses the engineering of movement to create an original piece full of purpose, intrigue, and ingenuity.

The work takes one by surprise as the steady crescendo of exertion and dynamic seems to build from nowhere yet doesn’t falter for a millisecond throughout. And that kind of pace and balance isn’t easy to contemplate, let alone actually realise. I believe it largely comes down to the exploration and analysis of physics, which in turn creates content that can only be described as economically creative; cause and effect in choreographic flow.

The two, male dancers (Jeong and Jisoo Ryun) work like machinery in the sense that without one another nothing they do would be possible. Compute, support, propel, lever, balance – it’s all there and then some. And the understated coolness of their execution only strengthens the work’s value and originality.

50 per cent in silence, which isn’t an issue as the content is riveting, allows the other half to fly (pun) with sound director Hyunsoo Kim’s cool, urban beats acting as a zeitgeist soundtrack of inspiration.

Flight makes one want to get on the first plane to Korea to sample as much as possible of the local dance scene, in the slim chance that any of it lives up to Cheol-in Jeong’s arresting creativity. Top-notch stuff – an actual new dance/choreographic form taking shape as it happens.

The second half opens with Sung Im Her’s TOMORROWISNOWTODAYISYESTERDAY (TiNTiY), which uses social media and all its complexities as the basis. When I read this I initially sank a little. I’m not in denial of the relevance, but also feel it’s been a bit “done” of late.

However, Her is absolutely bringing something to the table with the individual take. The piece, of four decipherable sections, clearly highlights the contradictions that an online life can present – a disengaged, lost identity, and the euphoric joy found through connection and community.

The structure suggests an ABAB pattern, with the Bs working more successfully than the As.

A1 sees three faceless, bountifully blonde-haired gimps writhing, interweaving and singing vis-à-vis alarm signals all within their solitary existences. A2 features Her lip-synch (and interject) to a recorded, narrated guide that educates one how to accomplish your best story for online branding and sharing. Both sections garner attention, but also feel lost in their randomness. I’d propose some fine-tuning is needed in relation to narrative intention and execution.

The Bs are much more my thing, largely successful in action and affirm Her’s time at P.A.R.T.S., the acclaimed contemporary dance school led by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker.

I’m not a TikTok user, but it’s evident that Her has taken gestures and dance moves found in viral videos and memes and built, in true De Keersmaeker style, inventive and unpredictable choreographic theories to carry the largely simple, gestural, repetitive movement to giddying heights.

Recognisable motifs are the dab position and the floss move. By themselves, they wouldn’t be interesting, but with Her’s use of space, sequencing and punchy execution by the cast of three (Her, Martha Passakopoulou & Seo Jun Lee), the pedestrian, repetitive movement becomes intoxicating and trance-like.

The whole cast brings what’s needed, but Her is difficult to ignore. The energy, attack and precision of her execution is really quite something.

I implore people to grab a show during the festival, as I’m sure the other programmes will be just as diverse and worthwhile as the opening one. And here’s to another nod to The Place for their original, cutting-edge programming – one’s always guaranteed entertainment down their way.

Matthew Paluch Guest Author

Matthew Paluch was awarded a place at The Royal Ballet School in 1990 where he graduated in 1997. His first four years as a professional dancer were spent working with London City Ballet, Scottish Ballet, K-Ballet and English National Ballet, becoming a full-time member of ENB until leaving in 2006.

Matthew graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance, Professional Dancers’ Teaching Diploma in 2007, and was formerly on faculty at The Royal Ballet School. He completed his Masters in Ballet Studies at Roehampton University in 2011, has been a freelance writer since 2010 and currently works in the Law Sector.

He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.