While the high-octane choreography in K-pop videos has helped define South Korea’s image globally, in the country itself, it’s modern dance that’s in the spotlight. It is a huge part of the country’s arts scene, quietly flourishing and influencing new generations of dancers and choreographers.
Its popularity and reach are evident throughout the country, especially among the dozens of companies, in Seoul and other cities, that share dancers, choreographers and designers. And several of those companies are making a name for themselves internationally, performing abroad and inviting major names to choreograph in South Korea.
This year’s Seoul International Dance Festival in September was a testament to the country’s dominance in the medium, with companies from Canada, Australia, Europe and, of course, Korea performing over two weeks. And several performances coming up later this fall display the country’s growing visibility on the global dance stage.
Some dancers from the Korean National Contemporary Dance Company, which bills itself as the only government-funded national contemporary dance company in Asia, are to perform “Shut Up Womb” (Nov. 15-17), a revival of the 2021 dance by the Japanese choreographer Shimojima Reisa, at the Seoul Arts Center right around the same time some of the company’s other dancers are to perform “Jungle” in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 16-20, as part of a program celebrating South Korean culture.
“Jungle” debuted in October 2023 in Seoul, and then traveled to Austria, France, Italy and Kazakhstan this summer. It will return to South Korea in November 2025 in a program that will also include “One Flat Thing, reproduced,” a dance by the celebrated American choreographer William Forsythe.
For Kim Sungyong, the new artistic director of the company, this international touring speaks to the success of dance in his home country, and to the access to a variety of well-trained dancers.
“It’s very natural for dance companies in South Korea to share choreographers and dancers, and in our company, for example, we don’t have permanent dancers,” Kim said during an interview in his Seoul office. “We hire them on a contract basis because each piece and each choreographer has a different style.”
Kim also credited a creative environment created by the government and the many universities with dance departments. Given that strong backing on two fronts, dozens of small dance companies are supported, with an exact number not available since individual choreographers can apply for funding as a one-person dance operation.
“There is a lot of financial support from the government for dance compared to other Asian countries, but there’s also a big focus on education,” Kim added. “In South Korea, there are a lot of dance departments in many universities, so there are always new dancers who want to dance professionally.”
Kim, who began dancing at age 15 and worked as a guest choreographer for years, said his goal is to make the company — and Korean modern dance in general — more visible around the world.
“We are asking more contemporary choreographers to visit South Korea, so we can have more variety,” he said. “We work as a choreographic center and invite national and international choreographers.”
This approach to achieving greater global visibility is shared by the Seoul-based choreographer Jeon Hyuck-Jin, the artistic director of Ground Zero Project, which he founded in 2008. Modern dance in South Korea is more collaborative than competitive, he said, and his company is one of many that shares designers, dancers and directors, often collaborating on performances, such as the upcoming show “Arko Dance & Connection” on Oct. 31, where he will stage “Extinction_ver.2,” an expanded version of “Extinction.” Jeon choreographed the piece and will be filming it from onstage during the performance, moving like a dancer as he does so. As videographer, he will capture the movements of two dancers, which will be projected onto a large screen above the stage.
Jeon said that much of his work has been greatly influenced by Yook Wan-soon, a Korean dancer and choreographer who taught at several universities, and who studied with the revolutionary choreographer Martha Graham in New York. Yook, who died in 2021 at the age of 87, is credited with pioneering the modern dance movement in South Korea. Yook taught at several universities over many decades.
“You can still see the Martha Graham technique everywhere in the choreography of my generation in South Korea,” Jeon said. “Both she and Ms. Yook had a significant influence on contemporary dance in this country. Ms. Yook’s legacy is tremendous.”
Jeon also cited the Arts Council Korea, a government agency that supports artists across various genres, as hugely influential, for his guest residency in Finland as part of the council’s international exchange.
“We have an ongoing collaborative project with the Pori Dance Company through a connection formed at the Seoul International Dance Festival in 2010,” Jeon explained. He said Liisa Nojonen, who was the company’s artistic director “invited me to choreograph for the company, and the Korean government funded 60 to 70 percent of that exchange.”
Government support also nurtures the Daegu City Dance Company in the southern city of Daegu, known more for its electronics and apple farming. Established in 1981 and with 30 full-time dancers, it performs about 40 times a year, most recently at the Dance Now Asia festival in Taiwan last month.
For Choi Moonsuk, the company’s artistic director, success is about creating a local identity but also expanding internationally.
“My goal is that we always keep what we have in Daegu and inside South Korea, but also outside the country,” he said in a recent phone call. “I’d love to add a global exchange and tour.”
The company will produce “Daegu Paradise” Dec. 13 and 14, the third piece in a series about the city of Daegu. The first two, “Daegu Body” and “Grenz.land Daegu,” performed last year, addressed the city and its people, either the history of the natives or the more recent immigrants. The third piece balances notes of jubilation and caution. On one hand, it will celebrate the city and its natural setting near mountains; on the other hand, it will also focus on global warming, given Daegu’s famously hot, humid summers, Choi said. He plans to add a fourth dance, about the future of the city, in 2025 or 2026.
Choi, who grew up in Daegu, danced as a soloist for 14 years in Europe before returning to South Korea as the artistic director and main choreographer for the company.
“I grew up watching this company, and then in Europe I saw a whole different system and how supportive of dancers it was,” he explained. “I dreamed of bringing that back to South Korea, and then I applied for this job and got it.”
The company receives financial support from Daegu, the country’s third-largest city, with about 2.6 million residents. For Choi, the company is an integral part of what defines the city because it involves its residents.
“For example, we create a piece with local DJs about 10 times a year and go to the city center or a museum or a hidden place, and we develop the space as we go along,” he said. “I found that there was always a gap between us and the audience, so my idea was to go to the people. They see us, and we ask them to join in. I thought: ‘If they don’t want to come to the theater, let’s go to them.’”
Daegu City Dance Company also visits elementary schools 10 to 15 times a year, he added.
“We show the children contemporary dance, and we do exercises together so that they become interested, and by the end we are all dancing together,” Choi said. “This is a strong message, rather than explaining in words or showing. Our bodies really want to move. The people must feel it. For me, that’s very important.”
The post Modern Dance Takes Center Stage in South Korea appeared first on New York Times.
