Sejong Center 'Sync Next 23'
67 Days from July 6 at S Theater
12 Teams, 12 Works, Total 33 Performances
"Sejong Center for the Performing Arts embraces the artistic activities expected by contemporary audiences and aims to introduce diverse perspectives of artists active at the forefront of the era through the stage," said Ahn Ho-sang, President of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.
Various contemporary artists performing in 'Sync Next 23,' planned by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, are posing. [Photo by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts]
Declaring itself a content production theater and armed with a variety of programs, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts will present "Think Next 23," showcasing experimental and challenging contemporary works from July 6 to September 10 at Sejong S Theater.
President Ahn Ho-sang stated, "We often receive requests to introduce Korea's contemporary performing arts overseas. Seoul today is a city where expectations and desires are maximized, which is why it is gaining more global attention. Through this Think Next, we wanted to present the diverse concerns of artists in Seoul today without distinguishing genres."
He added, "Last year, although it was the first time and we lacked preparation and consideration, we achieved a 78% audience occupancy rate and received feedback from audiences that it was unfamiliar but enjoyable. This year, we will supplement the shortcomings and provide audiences with newer experiences at Sejong."
This year, Think Next will run for 67 days from July 6 to September 10, featuring a total of 33 performances by 12 teams. Alongside music performances spanning various genres such as indie, R&B, trot, electronica, and rock, it will offer new artistic experiences that transcend conventional notions of stage performances, including street dance, installation art, and stand-up comedy.
Notably, the Sejong Center’s S Theater, where Think Next is held, is a variable black box theater with non-fixed stage and seating arrangements. This flexibility is expected to allow artists to redefine the relationship between performers and audiences based on their own imagination.
Artists Presenting Their First Solo Stages, New Albums, and New Works
250 will present his first solo stage "Still Don’t Know?" on July 15 through "Think Next 23." Winner of four awards at the 20th Korean Music Awards including ‘Album of the Year,’ ‘Musician of the Year,’ ‘Best Electronic Album,’ and ‘Best Electronic Song,’ he is preparing a stage filled with the rustic yet sophisticated, joyful yet melancholic musical colors and ironic sensibilities felt in his album "Ppong."
250 said, "The theme of last year’s album 'Ppong' is about holding sadness and melancholy in the heart while dancing to exciting rhythms, enjoying the gap between the two. This performance is prepared to let audiences feel the album’s emotions more three-dimensionally. It will be fitting for Sejong but I want to create a freer atmosphere like a colatec or dance hall."
Returning to the "Think Next" stage after last year, indie pop band Ilanchae and all-around artist Baek Hyun-jin will unveil ambitious new works. Ilanchae will hold their first live stage for their new album in Korea after recruiting new members from August 3 to 5 with the tentative title "Ilanchae_Think Next 23."
Baek Hyun-jin, who is active across cinemas, TV screens, performance venues, and galleries, will perform an experimental play "Baek Hyun-jin Show: Public Broadcast" from September 1 to 3. Alongside his band "Baek Hyunjin-ssi," he will present a new type of stage mixing music, performance, stand-up comedy, short sketches (even shorter than one-act plays, a term coined by the writer), installation art, and video art. Each show will feature different actors appearing in unexpected roles or voices, drawing attention.
Stages Approaching the Essence of Human Emotions and Performances for and by the Body
Singer-songwriter Seo Samuel and sign language artist Jihutree will stage "Then Who Talks About Love?" themed on love from July 28 to 30, while singer-songwriter, film director, and writer Lee Rang and drag artist More will present "Why Don’t I Say I’m Your Friend?" dealing with desire and loneliness on August 8.
Seo Samuel explained, "This performance was created to approach the essence of love beyond romantic love between genders. Since love is one of the basic human emotions, I believe audiences will relate to it a lot."
From July 20 to 23, the theater company "The Elephants Laugh" will place a water tank filled with water in the center of the venue, allowing audiences to sit around it on all sides and experience a connection in front of the waves with their work "Substance." On August 12 and 13, indie band Nerd Connection and media artist Z1 (Hyun Ji-won) will present "Terrarium," which visualizes in real-time messages and emotions sent by the audience before the performance on stage.
On August 15, flutist of the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra, member of the music group Namu, and vocalist of the hard rock band 49morphines, Sung Si-young, along with Lee Il-woo, leader of the rock band Jambinai and player of the piri and taepyeongso, and percussionist Hwang Min-wang, who has steadily expanded genres based on traditional performance, will come to the audience with the crossover stage "Gwanggwang, Gwonggwong."
Choreographer Monica, who made a strong impression on the public through "Street Woman Fighter," will perform "Unused ㅅ" with electronic genre-based vocalist and producer CP from August 18 to 20. This performance expresses various emotions that we all can feel in everyday life through twelve sentences, with Monica and the dance group Proudmen staging the show.
Monica said, "I am used to commissioned performances, but Sejong gave me 100% freedom, so I thought a lot. Sejong Center is an unfamiliar space to me, but with the goal of turning unfamiliarity into familiarity, I want to create a simple yet warm performance."
Director Jung Koo-ho, who has been expanding his artistic domain through "Ilmu" presented at Sejong Center last year, will close "Think Next 23" with the creative dance "Grimento" alongside choreographer Kim Sung-hoon. This work, performed from September 7 to 10, expresses six gray moments representing conflict, discrimination, assault, hatred, healing, and more through the bodies of 16 contemporary dancers, focusing on the theme of school violence.
Director Jung Koo-ho said, "'Grimento' means 'gray' in French and 'memory' in Latin. It is the first dance work addressing school violence, which has recently expanded as a social issue. Using the school classroom as a stage, it depicts the problem of school violence through movement and aims to create a form of healing through the power of dance."
Additionally, contemporary dance performances "Body Does Body" by choreographers Kim Jae-duk and Kim Mi-ae (July 6?8), and the creative project "Quantum Mind of the Universe" by research group "Gungliso Mutda" (August 24?27) will meet audiences.
Outdoor programs will also be available for audiences. From August 11 to September 9, every Friday and Saturday, audiences can enjoy the outdoor performance "Sejong Summer Festival," featuring An Eun-mi Company, Ambiguous Dance Company, Seoul Opera Company, and others.
In particular, Seoul Opera Company’s outdoor opera "Carmen" will publicly recruit citizen choirs and citizen dance groups to participate in the performance.
This "Think Next 23" offers various promotions such as early bird discounts, the "Synchronizer Package" allowing free selection of 3 out of 12 performances, and the subscription service "New Black" for enjoying desired performances at the maximum discount rate. Tickets go on sale from the 4th.
Sejong Center for the Performing Arts 'Think Next 23' [Photo by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts]
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
