30th Changmu dance festival to connect earth, body and sky

"The Seoul Cheonsin Gut" (Geumseong Shamanic Shrine Ritual Preservation Society)

The Changmu International Performing Arts Festival, dedicated to exploring international exchanges with traditional Korean dance, is set to hold its 30th edition this month.

Organized by the Changmu Arts Center, the dance festival will be held Aug. 21-31 at various locations, including Sejong Arts Center in Sejong City, Arko Arts Theater in Daehangno and Seoul Namsan Gugakdang.

Founded in 1992 by the esteemed choreographer and dancer Kim Mae-ja, affectionately known as the "mother of Korean creative dance," the Changmu Arts Center held its inaugural festival in 1993. With the exceptions of 2006 and 2008, the festival has been held annually.

Park Jin-hyung (left), general director of Changmu International Performing Arts Festival, and choreographer and dancer Kim Mae-ja attend a press conference held in Seoul on Aug. 6. (Newsis)

This year's festival, themed "Earth Stomping, Body Stomping, Sky Stomping," focuses on stomping movements -- one of the fundamental elements in traditional Korean dance -- which connect the earth, body and sky.

The festival will stage 24 dance performances, including 19 Korean productions and five works from China, Japan, the Netherlands, the US and New Zealand.

“For the 30th anniversary, we prepared a program to gather insights into the future direction of our dance. The festival aims to be a platform for reflecting on how to share our traditions with the world,” said Kim during a press conference last week.

The New Zealand Dance Company (The New Zealand Dance Company)

The opening ceremony on Aug. 21 at Sejong Arts Center will feature a performance by the Sejong-based traditional Korean orchestra Soyul.

On Aug. 23, the New Zealand Dance Company will present a triple bill inspired by traditional Maori myths and dance.

Zhu Yachao from China will perform "Unveiling Layers" inspired by the traditional costumes of China and Korea, on Aug. 24.

"The Birth of a Story" by 99 Art Company (Changmu International Performing Arts Festival)

From Aug. 27 to 31, Arko Arts Theater will host performances under the theme, "East Meets West."

Highlights include "The Birth of a Story" by 99 Art Company, delving into primordial times to find stillness in the soul; "Shout with One’s Body" by Changmu Dance Company, depicting an individual's spiritual rite; Niek Wagenaar’s Nymphs from the Netherlands with the postapocalyptic "After All”; and "ODEON" by New York-based Ephrat Asherie Dance, a remix of street and club styles with roots in West African rhythms.

Park Byeong-cheon Singing and Dance Preservation Society (Changmu International Performing Arts Festival)

At Seoul Namsan Gugakdang, rituals and dances rooted in shamanism will be performed. On Aug. 26, the Geumseong Shamanic Shrine Ritual Preservation Society will present "The Seoul Cheonsin Gut," a traditional Seoul-style shamanic ritual. In the evening, Japan's Okido Uzenkagura Preservation Society will perform a Shinto kagura, a historical ritual combining dance and Noh theater.

On Aug. 28, the Park Byeong-cheon Singing and Dance Preservation Society and Changmu Dance Company will co-present "Ssitgim Gut," or a shamanic ritual of washing for the living. Choreographer and dancer Kim will star in the performances of two traditional Korean rituals.

For the full schedule and ticket information, visit the festival's official website and ticketing site.

By Hwang Dong-hee(hwangdh@heraldcorp.com)