Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre
Tomorrow's performance of the Seoul Metropolitan
Dance Theatre is funded by the Korea Society and the
Hawaii Community Foundation.
Contemporary troupe
By Treena Shapiro
true to Korean
dance traditions
Star-BulletinSince Korea's creative dance movement began in the late 1970s, many contemporary dance companies in Seoul have broken with tradition, donning leotards and casting off their shoes.
"In some ways, it's like western-style modern dance," said Judy Van Zile, professor of dance at the University of Hawaii.
The Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre keeps Korea at its core, however, using traditional movements and themes as the foundation for its innovative choreography.
"Some choreographers take scenes or stories or ideas that are seriously rooted in Korean culture, movement features that are more characteristic of older traditional types of dances," Van Zile said.
"(SMDT does) a good blending of traditional and contemporary dance, so they don't look like they came out of New York City like a lot of groups in Korea do these days," said Mary Jo Freshley, who runs the Korean dance studio Halla Huhm.
Freshley said that SMDT, under the artistic direction of Jung Hye Bae, has a modern feel, in contrast to what is generally seen in Hawaii. "What we mostly do here is traditional Korean dance," Freshley said. Halla Huhm performs fan, court and drum dances. and choreographs dances to traditional folk music.
A Hawaii audience will be able to see the difference for themselves when SMDT makes an appearance at the Leeward Community College Theatre. The performance will contain two examples of what Freshley describes as "dance drama."
The first, "Ttodonun Hon" (Shade) is a modern re-interpretation of "Ssikkimkut," a shaman ritual that helps the dead ascend to heaven. The second, "Ture" (Cooperative Farming Group), celebrates the role of women in a traditional farming cooperative and the Korean love of the earth.
The Hawaii performance is part of Korea's ongoing effort to share its culture. According to Edward Shultz, director for the UH Center for Korean Studies, Koreans have come to realize they have a cultural treasure in dance, which can be used to promote Korea to the world.
"Dance is an emblem or marker for Korean personality," Shultz said. "Koreans are a very very spontaneous people and I think dance reveals that spontaneity.
Over the past few years, more money has gone into preserving the living tradition of Korean dance. Formerly, Korean dance was more for the tourists, but "the Koreans woke up and realized, 'Hey we have a treasure that needs to be actively cultivated,' " Shultz said.
With that in mind, Korea has recruited its most talented dancers into theater, and with this support and time to practice, they can work at becoming the best, Shultz said.
The SMDT performance is sponsored by the University of Hawai'i at Manoa Outreach College and Center for Korean Studies with support from the East West Center, the Halla Huhm Foundation, Iolani School and the University of Hawaii Department of Theatre and Dance and Department of Music.
Seoul Metropolitan
Dance TheatreOn stage: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow
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