From the 4th to the 8th, Over 50,000 Visitors from Korea and Abroad
The city of Busan successfully concluded the ‘2024 Busan International Performing Arts Market’ (BPAM), held from the 4th to the 8th of this month at the Busan Cultural Center and throughout the city, receiving enthusiastic responses from both art professionals and citizens.
This year’s BPAM confirmed its potential to develop into Korea’s leading festival-style performing arts distribution market, with more than double the number of overseas industry professionals participating (68 from 33 countries last year to 143 from 36 countries this year), an increase in visitors (from 18,000 to 50,000), and achievements such as invitations for local works to overseas events.
More than 300 domestic and international performing arts industry professionals, over 700 art organizations, and a total of about 50,000 participants took part, presenting performances in genres such as dance, music, theater, comedy, and street art. The event provided opportunities for the distribution of performances and for audiences to enjoy a wide variety of performing arts.
The opening ceremony, held at the Busan Cultural Center on the 4th, was attended by over 700 performing arts industry professionals, artists, and citizens, marking the successful start of the event.
The ceremony featured a welcoming speech by Vice Mayor Lee Joonseung, congratulatory remarks by Valery Chevalier, General Director of Montpellier Opera, and greetings from BPAM Artistic Director Lee Jongho. The event began with the opening declaration by Busan Cultural Foundation CEO Lee Miyeon, followed by a performance of the world-renowned art circus piece ‘La Galerie’, signaling the start of BPAM.
The 200 domestic and international works across various genres, focused on ‘performance distribution’, offered industry professionals opportunities for distribution and provided citizens with the joy of a performance festival.
Officially invited works (40 pieces) carefully selected by the BPAM Artistic Directors, BPAM Next Stage (38 pieces) as a platform for discovering future performances, street art performances (24 pieces) held at Gwangalli Beach on October 5 and 6, and about 200 works including linked events such as the Busan International Dance Market, Jakgang Theater Festival, and Busan One Month Festival were presented throughout Busan.
The official invited works, prepared for their high quality and accessibility for audiences and with strong potential for overseas distribution, received positive reviews from citizens, with comments such as, “There were many performances that families could enjoy together, and it was great to see a variety of excellent performances in Busan at once.”
Additionally, the official full-length productions, ‘Open Your Arms’ by the BPAM Project Band (Munich, Germany and Busan) and the closing piece ‘Gornisht’ (Israel and Busan), were collaborative works between local artists and overseas performing groups, offering unique performances that could only be seen at BPAM.
The ‘Network’ program, aimed at the distribution and sale of works, facilitated 473 one-on-one meetings between domestic and international performing arts industry professionals, artists, and art organizations. Many works, including the Busan production ‘Iljangchunmong’ (Teul Edition), received invitations to overseas performing arts markets, achieving tangible results.
During ‘BPAM Date’, where domestic and international performing arts industry professionals and artists (art organizations) engaged in intensive 15-minute discussions about their works, 58 art organizations (including repeats) participated over four days, resulting in 473 meetings.
As a result, the Busan production ‘Iljangchunmong’ (Teul Edition) received invitations from Bulgaria, Romania, and Poland, while the work ‘Roommate’ (Eye Contact) secured a script licensing contract with the United Kingdom.
In addition, many overseas performing arts industry professionals showed great interest in numerous works, which is expected to lead to visible results in the distribution of performing arts.
‘BPAM Night’, which provided opportunities for free exchange in a relaxed atmosphere, and the operation of the ‘BPAM Booth’ with 46 participating organizations, offered a platform for domestic and international performing arts industry professionals to network, promote works (content), and explore opportunities for overseas expansion.
At the ‘BPAM Seminar’ and ‘BPAM Open Talk’, attended by domestic and international performing arts industry professionals, discussions and information exchanges were held on various topics, including strategic proposals for entering overseas markets and global network exchange strategies for performing arts.
Over four sessions during the four-day ‘BPAM Seminar’, 13 presenters including Laurent Domingo, Co-Director of Avignon Off Festival, and Sarah Dodd from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, gave presentations on topics such as ▲‘The Present and Future of the Performing Arts Market: Strategic Proposals for Entry into Local Markets’ ▲‘Expanding Technology and Climate Change: From Developing the Capabilities of Local Artists in the UK to Overseas Tours/Collaboration Cases’ ▲‘Strategies for Expanding and Exchanging Human Networks with Latin America’ ▲‘Strategies for Expanding and Exchanging Human Networks with Asia’.
Each presentation was followed by ‘Delegation Pitching’, providing useful information through presentations on topics such as festival introductions and cultural exchanges.
‘BPAM Open Talk’ focused on the theater genre, offering an opportunity to hear practical insights from experts on performance distribution.
From October 5 to 6, the ‘BPAM Join’ program was held, allowing the general public to participate and enjoy the event.
Street performances, performing arts experiences, and photo zones were operated at the central plaza of the Busan Cultural Center, receiving great responses from citizens. Architect Cho Seongrae’s work ‘Yard of Wind and Emotion’ served not only as the audience seating for the ‘BPAM Join’ street performances, but also as a resting area and photo zone for citizens, further enriching the atmosphere of the event.
To maximize the synergy with the ‘Festival October’ event, a BPAM promotional booth was operated at the outdoor plaza of BEXCO, and an integrated pass in conjunction with Festival October was issued.
Vice Mayor Lee Joonseung stated, “The successful hosting of the Busan International Performing Arts Market, BPAM, will be an innovative turning point for Busan’s performing arts ecosystem to expand beyond Korea and Asia to the world,” adding, “We will further strengthen preparations next year so that BPAM can develop into Asia’s leading performing arts distribution market.”
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