A Triple Bill of Jiri Kylian's Masterpieces
"Forgotten Land," "Sechs Tanze," and "Falling Angels"
Exploring the Depths of Human Emotion and Existence
The National Ballet Company will present the "Kylian Project" in collaboration with GS Art Center from June 26 to 29 at GS Art Center.
This triple bill performance features three representative works by world-renowned Czech choreographer Jiri Kylian: "Forgotten Land," "Sechs Tanze," and "Falling Angels." These three pieces sensually portray the multilayered inner worlds and emotions of human beings. The performance is part of the opening festival of GS Art Center, which opened on April 24, 2025.
Among the three works, only "Falling Angels" will be premiered in Korea, while the other two pieces were already staged by the National Ballet Company in 2019.
"Forgotten Land" is a piece Kylian choreographed, inspired by Edvard Munch's painting "The Dance of Life." The music used is British composer Benjamin Britten's "Sinfonia da Requiem." Britten composed this piece during World War II, and it contains profound reflections on human existence. This music, which is rarely performed on Korean stages, can be experienced sensually together with the powerful movements of the National Ballet Company dancers.
The title "Forgotten Land" refers to a space that is both the foundation of human existence and a repository of historical traces. Kylian dramatizes this concept by dividing it into three stages of a woman's life. Each stage is expressed through different colored costumes, and the choreography reveals existential emotions and the dynamics of love.
"Falling Angels" is a work for eight female dancers, set to the minimalist music of American composer Steve Reich. All eight dancers remain on stage from beginning to end without leaving even once. The interplay between mutual dependence and individual desire among the eight dancers creates constant tension. Kylian stated, "I have always felt that the female body and movement itself is dance." On top of intense percussion rhythms, the choreography weaves together a multilayered flow of emotions such as confidence, anxiety, inferiority, humor, and vulnerability, all expressed by the female dancers.
"Sechs Tanze," which means "Six Dances," is a piece Kylian choreographed, inspired by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Six German Dances." Through six short and comical scenes, the work satirically explores the duality of human existence and the irony of the times. White makeup, comical wigs, exaggerated movements, and unexpected staging elicit laughter from the audience, while also suggesting the philosophical potential of dance.
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