June 7, 7:00 PM, Sky Theater at Busan Cinema Center Opening Ceremony, Special Dance Performance
June 7-9, Haeundae Special Stage, Busan Cinema Center, Busan Citizens Park, Songdo, Yongdusan Park
The city of Busan announced that the 20th Busan International Dance Festival will kick off with an opening ceremony and special performance at 7 p.m. on June 7 at the Haneul Theater of the Busan Cinema Center, followed by events held at the special stage on Haeundae Beach and various locations throughout Busan.
The festival will take place over three days from June 7 to 9, at venues including the special stage on Haeundae Beach, Haneul Theater at the Busan Cinema Center, Busan Citizens Park, Songdo, Yongdusan Park, Yeongdo, and Gwangalli Beach, among other places across the city.
The event is hosted by the city of Busan and organized by the Busan International Dance Festival Organizing Committee (Chairman Park Hyungjoon, Artistic Director and Executive Committee Chair Shin Eunju).
The festival is an international dance celebration held annually in early June on Busan's beautiful beaches and major landmarks. Since its inception as the 1st Busan International Beach Dance Festival in 2005, it celebrates its 20th edition this year, having grown into a world-renowned dance festival that has showcased over 1,000 works from 60 countries across five continents over the past 20 years.
This year, more than 40 performance groups from 10 countries?including Korea, Lithuania, France, Brazil, Peru, Indonesia, Japan, Australia-New Zealand?and over 400 artists from 15 countries in Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania will participate, presenting more than 60 works in a large-scale arts festival.
Notably, this year's festival is made possible through close cooperation and collaboration between the city and various organizations, including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Arts Council Korea, Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, as well as embassies in Korea such as Hungary and Peru, and many other domestic and international related institutions.
The festival will open at 7 p.m. on June 7 at the Haneul Theater of the Busan Cinema Center with a celebratory performance by the National Dance Company of Korea (Director and Artistic Director Kim Jongdeok) titled "Portrait of My Youth," percussion group TAGO, and Shaman Drum.
The National Dance Company of Korea will open the 20th Busan International Dance Festival as part of the 2024 National Theater Regional Culture Hub Performance Project.
Following this, as a special invitation performance celebrating the 20th anniversary of the festival and the 35th anniversary of Korea-Hungary diplomatic relations, the Hungarian MU Budapest Theater will present the circus dance "Solus Amor (Only Love)" by Recirquel Cirque Danse by Bence Vagi in a 70-minute full-length performance.
This performance will be staged three times in a row at the Haneul Theater of the Busan Cinema Center at 3 p.m. on June 7, 8, and 9.
Supported by the Hungarian Ministry of Culture and Innovation and sponsored by the Embassy of Hungary in Korea, this performance marks its Asian premiere at the festival, adding to its significance.
This new genre work, called "circus dance," which combines circus and contemporary ballet, has already received the highest praise from audiences and critics worldwide during its international tours.
With the theme of love, this performance offers spectacular aerial acrobatics and high artistic value, making it a world-renowned work that is expected to attract not only Busan residents but also dance enthusiasts from across the country.
To mark the 20th anniversary of the festival, the city plans to revitalize the dance community in Busan and expand the base of dance enthusiasts, thereby restoring Busan's reputation as a "city of dance."
In the "Open Stage" event held in collaboration with the Busan branch of the Korea Dance Association (Busan Dance Association), eight leading dance troupes from Busan will perform a pre-festival promotional show at Busan Citizens Park on June 2.
On June 8 and 9, seven groups selected through a competitive process for the "participatory dance community" will also perform on the special stage at Haeundae Beach.
As a commemorative work for the 20th anniversary of the festival, the original piece "Wind of the Abundance" (choreographed by Park Eunhwa, performed by the contemporary dance company Jayu) by local choreographers and dance companies will be presented as an official invitational performance of the Busan International Dance Festival.
Additionally, fresh performances by students from Busan Arts High School and Peniel Arts High School, composed of aspiring young artists, will be featured as pre-ceremony celebratory performances.
This year's festival will also bring collaborative works between international groups and Busan-based dance companies to various locations throughout the city, including Songdo, Yongdusan Park, Yeongdo, and Gwangalli Beach. Through these collaborations, the festival aims to connect world-class groups with local artists and support the creation and production of new works, expanding its role as an international cultural and artistic platform.
Brazil's Grupo Tapias Company and Busan's Kyunghee Dance Theater have been selected for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE) "Interactive International Cultural Collaboration Support Project," and will meet audiences at various stages as part of the "Busan International Dance Festival (BIDF) Street Promotion Performance."
The Australia-New Zealand-based House of Sand Company, together with participants from last year's Busan International Choreographers Camp, will present an enhanced version of the choreography "Resisting Resistance" on the official stage this year.
Park Hyungjoon, Mayor of Busan and Chairman of the Busan International Dance Festival Organizing Committee, stated, "I hope the Busan International Dance Festival will not only globalize Busan's dance scene but also foster greater interest and affection for Busan among its citizens through the development of local culture and arts. Our city will do its utmost to become a 'world-class cultural city' where everyone can freely enjoy culture anytime, anywhere."
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