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| Actress Lee El, right, poses with Lee Hae-jun, chairman of the organization committee of the 39th International Modern Dance Festival (MODAFE), pose after he appointed her as goodwill ambassador for the festival in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of MODAFE by Hanfilm |
By Park Ji-won
Actress Lee El was appointed as goodwill ambassador for the 39th International Modern Dance Festival (MODAFE) to be held at ARKO Arts Theater in Seoul between May 14 and 29.
Lee, who became famous thanks to her roles in the films and dramas like "The Yellow Sea," "Inside Men" and "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God," stressed that contemporary dance has been her sources of motivation for her acting since the early 2000s when she was a student aspiring to be an actress.
"As a long-time fan of the festival, it has been an honor for me to become the ambassador to promote the event… I have been mindful of body movements in acting for nearly 10 years of my career as an actress. I was a student paying attention to body training to express feelings naturally while acting. That's why I have been keen to watch dance performances of MODAFE to learn how to well breath and convey feelings," Lee said during a press conference held to promote the festival in Seoul, Thursday.
The oldest contemporary dance festival in Korea has been playing an important role in introducing leading contemporary dances here and from overseas. However, due to the concerns that the festival can become a medium to spread the infectious disease, the organization committee of the event has decided to stream the event online for free while holding the actual festival performances with a limited number of audience members who will be obliged to sit apart from each other. Also, performances of international artists slated to participate in the festival have been cancelled or postponed due to logistical difficulties amid the pandemic.
Stressing the online streaming can be a good way to attract more viewers amid the spread of the coronavirus, Lee said "Even though artists from other countries will not participate in the festival, I assumed that it will be a better chance for various Korean artists to perform on the stage."
Lee Hae-jun, chairman of the organization committee of MODAFE and professor of Hanyang University, said "We faced a lot of changes and difficulties in the COVID-19 era. Overseas performers will not come while large-sized performances had to change their choreography as performers were not able to gather to practice...Ironically, domestic artists were eager to participate in the festival thanks to the coronavirus as it had resulted in cancellation of most shows they had. Those artists are like superheroes. I hope the public, the little heroes of our times, will enjoy our festival."
MODAFE is Korea's longest-running contemporary dance festival held since 1982. Under the slogan of "Little Heroes Come Together!," this year's festival features dance performances by only Korean artists due to the coronavirus spread. Performers are planning to express through the medium of dance the life of ordinary individuals facing hardships in society. Renowned choreographers including Kim Seol-jin and Ahn Ae-soon will present their dance works.
