Moon So-ri tapped for goodwill ambassador for international dance festival
Actress Moon So-ri / Courtesy of C-Jes Entertainment
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Award-winning actress Moon So-ri was appointed goodwill ambassador for the 37th International Modern Dance Festival (MODAFE) to be held in Seoul on May 16 to 27.
“We, the Contemporary Dance Association of Korea, are pleased to announce actress Moon as goodwill ambassador of this year's MODAFE event,” the association said in its press release on Tuesday. “She won numerous awards at film festivals both at home and abroad and she is a world-class star. We were particularly thrilled to learn that she is a huge fan of modern dance and this prompted us to appoint her for the post.”
Moon rose to global fame in 2002 when she won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Emerging Actress at the Venice International Film Festival. In 2016 she also became the first Korean actor to serve as a judge at the same film festival.
Accepting the offer, Moon said she has been fascinated with modern dance for two years.
“As an actress, I hoped I could maintain my body shape and wanted it to be natural,” she said. “When I dance, I could feel the music as well as the moves and rhythms. I was also inspired by my partner. This is how I came to be drawn into modern dance and I've been in love with it for two years.”
Moon said she came to understand her body better as she was able to respond to every sign from her body. “I know many people think modern dance is not their thing as they feel it is something distant from their daily lives. I regret this,” she said. “I hope they can feel the music and dance just as I did.”
The actress will attend a press conference for the 2018 MODAFE and watch British physical dance theater Gecko's “The Wedding,” the opening dance performance of the event, on May 16.
MODAFE is Korea's oldest contemporary dance festival. Under the slogan of “Cheer, Your Dance, Your Life!” this year's fest features dance performances by 133 artists from five countries.