A Festival of Korean Dance 2021, The Place

After four very successful years, the Festival of Korean Dance has become a regular autumn event at The Place. Last year, of course, given the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival migrated online; but this year it's back, albeit in a slimmed-down version.

Two Korean acts will perform on stage, and sandwiched between the two will be an online debate entitled What is the Future of International Touring? assessing the impact of the combination of the pandemic, Brexit and the climate emergency on international touring. That's on Tuesday 21 September at 10am. All details here.

The festival opens with a work by the London-based South Korean choreographer Sung Im Her, W.A.Y (RE-WORK). Performed by four dancers and one live musician to a score from Belgian composer Husk Husk, this is a consequence of the long periods of isolation dictated by the pandemic, and explores the tension between the need for individuality and the longing to be part of something bigger than ourselves. It works through a series of psychological and social geometries, contrasting uncertainty and fear with joy.

W.A.Y (RE-WORK) will be performed on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 September at 7:30pm and lasts for 50 minutes. There will be a post-show talk on 17 September. Tickets here

The second and final piece in this year's Festival of Korean Dance introduces Company SIGA to London audiences.

Company SIGA - ZERO. Photo: Hanfilm
An up-and-coming troupe touring from South Korea, Company SIGA presents a double bill consisting of Equilibrium, a duet playing on notions of balance, and ZERO, a piece for six dancers, billed as showcasing the ecstasy of moving towards a higher level of freedom before returning back to zero.

The name of the company, SIGA, aggregates two Korean words meaning respectively 'little by little' and 'into the heart'. The keywords of their dance discipline are ’Speed’, ‘Basic’ and ‘Body’ creating natural pace and flow.

Company SIGA performs on Thursday 23 and Friday 24 September at 7:30pm. The show lasts approximately 55 minutes. Tickets here

Please note: The Place is still operating a policy of socially distanced audiences.