Seoul City Dance Company 'The Topping'... Preparing a Unique Stage with the Theme of 'Water'

December 3-6 at Sejong Center S Theater

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The Sejong Center Seoul Dance Company will perform 'The Topping; Deo Topping' at the Sejong Center S Theater from December 3 to 6.

Since 2015, the Seoul Dance Company has been presenting 'The Topping' under the theme 'All the Collaborations in the World' to explore the potential of Korean dance and take a new leap forward. 'The Topping' means 'to put on or strike,' reflecting the intention to collaborate with various genres and artists centered on Korean dance.

From the first performance, it received praise as a 'bold and innovative project breaking down the walls of genres' by combining Korean dance with street dance, ballet, animation, theater, and traditional Korean music (gugak). Since then, it has expanded into experimental stages through collaborations with various genres.

This year's 'The Topping' performance selected Gam-gwae (坎卦), one of the eight trigrams derived from the I Ching, as its theme and worked on the concept of movement research involving water. Gam (坎) originally means 'pit,' and also implies 'to fall into (陷)' and hardship. The work consists of three pieces that use water, bring the meaning or spirit of water, and continuously research the movement of water.

The first piece, 'Suryu (水流), Five Inflections (變曲),' depicts a woman's life through five inflections symbolizing water. The second piece, 'A Calm Sea,' tells the story of human duality through the sea that harbors evil beneath tranquility. Both 'Suryu, Five Inflections' and 'A Calm Sea' were completed through experimental collective choreography researched and collaborated on by the entire cast rather than a few choreographers.

The final piece, 'Dan,' features the only external choreographer, Kim Sung-hoon. Kim Sung-hoon is active with the LDP Dance Company and Akram Khan Dance Company and participated as an assistant choreographer in the Seoul Dance Company's 'Not' last year. This piece specially uses water to talk about the invisible lines and gaps between people living different daily lives and diverse existences.

The Seoul Dance Company divides the three pieces into a female team, a male team, and a mixed team for the performances. Audiences are expected to find it interesting to gauge how the color of the works differs depending on the gender ratio of the performers. Additionally, the Sejong S Theater, a flexible black box stage, has reduced seating and expanded the stage, using water on the stage floor to maximize the advantages of the space and present a unique stage production.

Tickets for 'The Topping' can be reserved on the Sejong Center website. Suitable for ages 8 and above (elementary school students and older). Seating will follow social distancing rules.