The Life of Women in the 24 Solar Terms, Expressed Through Dance and Song

National Asia Culture Center Planned Performance 'Madi and Maedeup'
Produced by Jeong Young-du, Bae Sam-sik, Choi Woo-jung, and Others
Women of Various Ages Express Seasonal Life and Psychology

Production and cast of the National Asia Culture Center's planned performance 'Madi and Maedeup'. Photo by National Asia Culture Center

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] "These days, when we commonly talk about women's lives, we expect to portray and create the lives of women who are subjective and active, accurately recognizing and fighting against the hardships imposed by their given life conditions. But who remembers the lives of women who could not live that way in the past, who did not meet those standards? Through interviews, I reflected the idea that we must also remember those lives in the work."

On the 28th, at a press conference for the National Asia Culture Center (ACC) Asia Story Creation and Production performance 'Madi wa Maedeup' held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, playwright Bae Samsik explained the work in this way.

A performance that shapes the lives of women, vibrant according to the solar terms from Dongji (Winter Solstice) to Haji (Summer Solstice), through dance and song, will premiere on the stage of the National Asia Culture Center.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's National Asia Culture Center will premiere the ACC Asia Story Creation and Production performance 'Madi wa Maedeup' on October 7 and 8 at Theater 2 of the ACC Arts Theater in Gwangsan-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju.

Showcase of Joints and Knots. Photo by National Asia Culture Center

'Madi wa Maedeup' is a work that unfolds the daily lives and psychology of women who live through and welcome the seasons within the natural order before urbanization, like a panorama. The landscapes and seasonal customs of 13 solar terms from Dongji to Haji among the 24 solar terms form the major framework of the work. Within each segment of time, the knots in women's hearts and stories buried in the years are woven together through dance, song, and musical performance.

The production draws attention with a creative team regarded as the best contemporaries in their fields, including direction, choreography, script, and music, featuring Jeong Yeongdu, Bae Samsik, and Choi Woojeong.

Jeong Yeongdu, who worked on 'Symphony in C,' 'In the Land of Punctuation,' and the changgeuk (traditional Korean opera) 'Lear,' takes charge of direction and choreography in this work, completing each solar term as a unique movement while weaving the 13 solar terms into a single narrative.

Director Jeong said, "The reason for focusing on the older generation rather than our own is that with the rapid change to urban society, the wisdom they carry in their bodies is disappearing, which is very regrettable. When these people pass away, a huge unit or layer of history disappears, and I repeatedly pondered whether we can evolve into the next generation without realizing that."

Dancer Jung Young-doo, in charge of directing and choreography, and playwright Bae Sam-sik, who wrote the script. Photo by National Asia Culture Center

Playwright Bae Samsik, who has continued work tracing individual lives and journeys in modern and contemporary history, features women of various ages as narrators, embedding their lifestyles and psychology according to the solar terms into poetic lyrics.

The music is composed by Choi Woojeong, who wrote the opera 'Yeonseo,' '1945,' the musical 'Gwangju, Female Vocal Music 'Chuseon',' and the choral drama 'The Last Snowman.' His music connects Bae Samsik's lyrics and Jeong Yeongdu's choreography organically with lyrical and sometimes lively melodies.

The lives of women living in harmony with nature are also realized through the harmony of genres. Storytelling, music, and dance respect and embrace each other, working side by side within a single performance.

'Madi wa Maedeup' is a work planned by ACC to produce differentiated performance content. Through the '2nd Asia Story Contest' in 2020, 'the lives of Asian women' was discovered as a new core theme for performances, and research on the work was conducted, leading to the start of production. It received favorable reviews from audiences and critics through a showcase last year.

The performance will be held three times in total on October 7 and 8 at Theater 2 of the ACC Arts Theater. It is suitable for audiences aged 8 and above, with all seats priced at 20,000 KRW.