[On Stage] 100 Years Ago, Joseon Through Western Eyes... Brilliantly Revived Through Dance

Seoul Metropolitan Dance Company’s New Work 'Elisabeth Gidok'
Inspired by 24 Works of British Painter Keith
Act 1 Comprises 7 Scenes Including Wedding, Independence Movement, Shaman
"Expressed Through Contemporary Dance Infused with Our Sentiment and Energy"

"In Korean households, women are treated with less respect than men, but during the March 1st Independence Movement, women fought just as valiantly as men. They delivered secret documents, distributed the 'Joseon Independence Newspaper,' participated in underground organizations, and endured all kinds of torture without yielding. Korean women showed their strength whenever given the opportunity." (Elizabeth Keith, from 'Old Korea')

Jung Hye-jin, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Company, and choreographer Kim Seong-hoon performing the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Company's new work 'Elizabeth Gidok' at Sejong Center M Theater. Photo by Huh Young-han younghan@

The British painter Elizabeth Keith (1887?1956), who is remembered as a writer who loved Korea and a writer loved by Korea, has her Korean genre paintings reborn with a modern sensibility and meet the audience. The Seoul Metropolitan Dance Company presents the new work 'Elizabeth Gidok' from the 2nd to the 5th at the Sejong Center M Theater, which faithfully incorporates the perspective of a foreigner who viewed Korea 100 years ago, as well as the culture, traditions, era, and ethnicity depicted in her paintings, into dance.

"By reading Elizabeth Keith’s thoughts and feelings about our people during her travels in Joseon through her writings, we aimed to stage the pride we did not lose even under Japanese colonial rule, as well as the beautiful traditional costumes and culture depicted in her paintings," introduced Jeong Hye-jin, director of the Seoul Dance Company.

'Elizabeth Gidok' is structured into one act with seven scenes, newly reinterpreting 24 of Keith’s more than 80 Korean genre paintings, including 'Bride’s Procession,' 'Rural Wedding Feast,' and 'Wonsan Scholars and Their Disciples.' Not only her paintings but also the candid impressions and emotions about Korea contained in letters exchanged between Keith and her elder sister during her stay in Joseon are deeply expressed through the character of Keith appearing on stage and her perspective.

Director Jeong recalled, "I first encountered Keith’s paintings at an exhibition in 2008 and conceived the idea of turning them into a dance work, but it took 15 years to bring it to the stage. Unlike when I only saw the pretty, quaint paintings, after reading the letters Keith wrote to her sister, I decided to incorporate our ethnicity and the era’s social context into the work."

Jung Hye-jin, the director in charge of choreography for the Seoul City Dance Company's new work 'Elizabeth Gidok' (from left), lead actors Oh Jung-yoon, Kim Ha-yeon, and choreographer Kim Seong-hoon. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

"Among the qualities of Koreans, the most outstanding is their dignified demeanor. On a bright spring day, I saw a procession of male prisoners being led by Japanese police. The prisoners walked with a more dignified appearance than the Japanese people in their gleaming uniforms and armed with guns and swords." (Elizabeth Keith, from 'Old Korea')

Keith visited Korea several times over 20 years starting in 1919, when the independence movement was in full swing, beautifully capturing the scenes of the time on canvas. Her love for Korea went beyond designing the 'Korean Christmas seal' three times; she even changed her seal (signature) to the Korean-style name 'Gidok,' showing her deep affection for Korea. The title of this work, 'Elizabeth Gidok,' embodies Keith’s profound love for Korea.

The beautiful costumes that perfectly translate Keith’s paintings onto the stage were explained by Director Jeong as being unlike the 'white-clad' Joseon people we knew; instead, they were beautiful costumes with harmonious colors and elegant curves. Seven costumes appear on stage, drawn from the various outfits depicted in Keith’s works. Additionally, modern reinterpretations of hanbok, as well as beautiful shoes and jokduri (bridal coronets) appearing in the wedding scenes, will captivate the audience’s attention.

The vibrant vitality of Korean women from 100 years ago is also interestingly portrayed on stage. Choreographer Kim Seong-hoon said, "According to Keith’s book, men spent leisurely time playing janggi (Korean chess), while women had busy days with labor such as washing clothes and cooking. We contrasted these scenes on stage for the audience to see. Even looking at the wedding scene, while 'small weddings' are popular today, 100 years ago, everyone gathered and celebrated noisily like a village festival," he hinted.

Choreographer Kim emphasized, "Rather than simply translating Keith’s paintings into choreography, we focused on visualizing the emotions and social context embedded behind her paintings. We will unfold the parts that can be imagined from the paintings and the narratives beyond them like a fantasy before the audience."

Kim Ha-yeon, a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Company playing Elizabeth Keith, said, "This work is neither storytelling nor just imagery; through an appropriate crossover, it conveys Keith’s perspective and the beauty of Korea at that time to the audience." Oh Jeong-yoon, also double-cast as Keith, explained, "Through the landscapes depicted in Keith’s works on stage and the beautiful costumes and props of the era, the audience will feel as if they are visiting an art gallery to see Keith’s paintings."

Director Jeong requested, "By combining the beauty of lines emphasized in Korean dance and the explosive muscle movements of contemporary dance, starting from the static Korean sentiment and exploding into dynamic contemporary dance, we hope the audience will recall and embrace pride in our ethnicity and culture once again through this stage."