Johan Inger visits Korea for the first time as a choreographer
Presenting 'Walking Mad' and 'Bliss,' works exploring the depths of human emotion
Lee Sangeun returns to the Korean stage after 15 years as lead principal of the English National Ballet
"'Walking Mad' means to walk as a madman, to walk in madness. I wanted to express the ridiculously comical aspects that emerge when a person loses their reason."
Johan Inger, the world-renowned choreographer from Sweden, stated that the subject he finds most fascinating is the human being itself. "Humans can be beautiful, but they can also be ugly. I enjoy intensely studying even the inner aspects that people do not want to reveal, the parts they wish to hide, and I draw inspiration from that."
Ahn Hosang, President of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, choreographer Johan Inger, Lee Sangeun, lead principal dancer of the English National Ballet, and Lee Jungwoo, season dancer of the Seoul Ballet Company (from left), are taking a commemorative photo. Photo by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts
Inger is a global master who won the choreography category of the prestigious Benois de la Danse in 2016. The Seoul Ballet Company will perform Inger's works 'Walking Mad' and 'Bliss' at the Sejong Center M Theater from May 9 to 18. This is the first time Inger's works are being performed in Korea since 'Carmen' was staged at the LG Arts Center in 2017. At that time, Inger did not visit Korea, but for this Seoul Ballet Company performance, he has come to Korea for the first time as a choreographer.
At a press conference held at the Sejong Center on May 7, Inger described 'Walking Mad,' which will be presented as the first piece, as a work resembling a journey into an unknown world or a dream.
'Walking Mad' combines Maurice Ravel's 'Bolero' with music by Arvo Part, poetically and dramatically portraying human madness, isolation, tension, and the psychology within relationships on stage. By using the repetitive and intensifying rhythm of Bolero and stage props in the form of collapsing and disintegrating walls, the work expresses complex situations and the human relationships within them.
"I wanted to depict what kind of journey might exist beyond the unknown world we do not know, and what emotions humans might feel. I tried to honestly capture the feelings when a person encounters something unexpected during a journey. As humans live together, they sometimes destroy each other and sometimes embrace one another. I wanted to be faithful to expressing genuine human emotions. When choreographing, I strive to be as honest and unembellished as possible, and I put a lot of effort into expressing my own ridiculous foolishness."
Inger added that the wall appearing on stage represents the adversity encountered during the journey, and that it plays a role as important as the dancers in the work.
The second piece, 'Bliss,' expresses the happiness, ecstasy, and pure joy that dancers feel while dancing on stage, and Inger explained that it is a work with a contrasting atmosphere to 'Walking Mad.' Inger said, "I want the dancers to purely and directly express the joy of simply being able to stand on stage and dance in front of an audience." The music by Keith Jarrett used in 'Bliss' is something Inger has loved since his youth. He said he had always wanted to create a piece set to Jarrett's music someday.
This performance will feature Lee Sangeun, the lead principal dancer of the English National Ballet, returning to perform in her homeland for the first time in 15 years. Lee Sangeun began her career as a soloist with the Universal Ballet Company and joined the Dresden Semperoper Ballet in 2010. She became the first Korean to be promoted to principal dancer at the Dresden Ballet in 2016, and in 2023, she joined the English National Ballet as lead principal dancer. She also performed in 'Walking Mad' in 2016 while with the Dresden Semperoper Ballet.
Lee Sangeun said, "I really love Inger's works," explaining, "because they express human emotions in a very honest and straightforward way."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
