‘One Dance’ choreographers honored in New York for reimagined ritual dance
Choreographers of "One Dance," a work by the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theater, have won the outstanding choreographer/creator award at the New York Dance and Performance Awards, widely known as the Bessie Awards.
The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts said on Wednesday that choreographers Jeong Hye-jin, Kim Sung-hoon and Kim Jae-duk received the honor at the awards ceremony held in New York on Tuesday.
“'One Dance' embodies the spirit of people who have endured together, united by a single purpose,” Jeong said upon receiving the award. “It is the result of time spent trusting one another, time shaped by collective effort and perseverance.”
Premiered in 2022, "One Dance" is a contemporary reinterpretation of the ritual dance of Jongmyo Jeryeak, the royal ancestral rite music and dance designated as National Intangible Cultural Heritage in Korea and listed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. The work bridges ancient ceremonial form and contemporary choreography, translating ritual stillness into kinetic intensity.
The production traveled to New York in 2023, performing at Lincoln Center, where all performances sold out and drew enthusiastic responses from critics and audiences alike.
The Bessie Awards committee introduced the work as “a visually mesmerizing contemporary reinterpretation of ceremonial Korean traditional dance,” noting its “perfect balance between stillness and movement, culminating in an explosive, athletic dance.”
Established in 1984, the Bessie Awards recognize groundbreaking work in choreography, performance, music composition, visual design, legacy and service to the field of dance. The 41st Bessie Awards honored works from the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The awards are named after the influential American dance educator Bessie Schonberg (1906-1997) and are determined by a jury of artists, producers and critics active in the city’s performing arts scene.
“This award affirms that the creative capacity we have built as a producing theater meets global standards,” said Ahn Ho-sang, CEO of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. “It is a symbolic moment showing that our long-term repertory strategy has entered the global contemporary arts conversation.”
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