The 23rd Seoul World Dance Festival Eve Performance 'Chumbinari'

At 8 PM on the 28th at Towol Theater, Seoul Arts Center

Yeonhuidan Palsandae's 'Chumbinari-Pangut'
Photo by Seoul World Dance Festival Organizing Committee (c) Park Sang-yoon

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The 23rd Seoul International Dance Festival (SIDance) pre-opening performance "Chumbinari" celebrating the festival's opening will be held on the 28th at 8 p.m. at the Towol Theater in the Seoul Arts Center.

The 23rd SIDance will be held online from November 6 to 22 via the official website, Naver TV, and YouTube accounts. The pre-opening performance "Chumbinari" is the only in-person audience event this year, and tickets can be purchased through Interpark. The performance features traditional dancers Kang Mi-sun and Kim Un-tae, the female nongak troupe Yeonhuidan Palsandae, contemporary dancer Lee Kwang-seok, ballerina Kim Ji-young, and others, presenting a show that encompasses various performing arts genres.

The first stage of "Chumbinari" is the Korean House Art Troupe's new work "Yeonggomu." This piece expresses the earth's resonance through six drums, conveying comfort to the people enduring difficult times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The second performance, Yeonhuidan Palsandae's "Pangut," is a work that selects important sections of traditional pungmul and weaves them into stage art. Lee Kwang-seok's "Memory of That Day" is a tribute to the late Jeong Jae-man (pen name Byeoksa), who passed away in 2014. It is a reinterpretation of Jeong Jae-man's salpuri, a dance that continues the lineage of Seoul dance, performed by contemporary dancer Lee Kwang-seok.

Kang Mi-sun, who was taught by Jinju gisaeng Kim Su-ak and master of Yeongnam dance Hwang Mu-bong, performs Hwang Mu-bong style salpuri dance accompanied by Namhaean Byeolsingut Sinawi music and Important Intangible Cultural Property Jeong Young-man's gu-eum, showcasing the essence of traditional dance.

Kim Ji-young, former principal dancer of the National Ballet Company, performs "The Song Calling Her," recalling her late mother. The sorrowful ballet movements combined with the binari sound of norummachi deepen the emotional impact.

The final stage is Yeonhuidan Palsandae leader Kim Un-tae's "Chaesang Sogo Dance." This dance stimulates excitement through the harmony of sogo drum sounds, agile footwork, and rhythms created by the body. At nearly 60 years old, Kim Un-tae's outstanding skill in performing the jabandwijigi (a flipping move) and the swirling sangmo hat dance in sync with Yeonhuidan Palsandae's jangdan will fill the stage.

Meanwhile, the 23rd SIDance will screen a total of 31 domestic programs from November 6 to 15, including selected works from domestic open calls and planned productions, and from November 16 to 22, five foreign dance films by artists such as David Mambouch, Club Guy & Roni, and Stephanie Thiersch will be shown. Details of the online program will be announced soon. The 23rd Seoul International Dance Festival is supported by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture.