Park Jin-hai primarily focuses on K-dramas, entertainment shows and actor interviews. Beyond that, she also pens articles covering the broader arts scene, with a particular emphasis on classical music, dance and various aspects of lifestyle. Since joining The Korea Times in 2013, she has made significant contributions in the realms of hallyu (Korean wave), industry news and international affairs.
'Dance frees us from jail of our bodies': Ohad Naharin
Ohad Naharin, the world-renowned Israeli choreographer, speaks about the contemporary dance work "Decadance" during a press conference at Sejong Center for Performing Arts in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
By Park Jin-hai
Israeli choreographer visits Seoul for contemporary piece 'Decadance'
Ohad Naharin, the world-renowned Israeli choreographer, visited Korea for the Seoul Metropolitan Ballet's season opener, "Decadance."
Now in its second year, Korea's third public ballet company and first public contemporary ballet troupe is collaborating with leading choreographers from the global ballet scene to present four performances, showcasing seven works this year. Kicking off this ambitious program is "Decadance" by Naharin, which opens on Friday and runs until March 23.
"Once dancers are talented, I come and share my discoveries. I don't need a long process. All I have to do is give dancers a key to open up their own treasures and this can happen very quick[ly]," he said of his experience working with Korean dancers at a press conference at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul, Wednesday.
The 72-year-old said he often tells dancers to give up old ideas for better nuance, noting that the effective way of achieving this is to "cover the mirrors" in dance studios.
"When we come to the studio, we cover the mirrors. Mirrors are forbidden in my work. The use of mirrors in the dance world is a mistake. It spoiled the soul of the dancer to look at himself instead of looking at the world," he said.
"We need to see the world and sense the world when we move. When you want to have the quality of movement, be exact and be with dynamics and texture, and be clear. You need to find it [with] the help of the scope of sensations, not by correcting your movement by looking at the mirror. I give them the opportunity to sense the outside elements. They appreciate that they become better artists, better performers and better human beings even."
Dancers of the Seoul Metropolitan Ballet practice with Ohad Naharin at Sejong Center for Performing Arts in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Sejong Center for Performing Arts
"Decadance" is a dynamic collage that reimagines and reconstructs Naharin’s signature works, continuously evolving since its premiere with Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company in 2000.
The Seoul Metropolitan Ballet's rendition promises an experience of creative and groundbreaking choreography, a vibrant ensemble of seasoned dancers and the unique movement language known as "Gaga."
Gaga is Naharin's training method that expands the body's potential and maximizes the dancer's sensory awareness. He likens Gaga to an engine.
"If we have a weak engine, it's very hard to lift the weight, but if we have a strong engine, what was heavy can become light without changing the weight. So, problems this way are half solved already because it's much easier to deal with. Gaga, in many ways, is about strengthening, not just physically. The idea [is] that yielding, letting go and surrendering is good and [it is] important to admit our weaknesses [and] to know that we are far from perfect, but we can still [create] sublime moments, that we go beyond our familiar limits on a daily basis," he said.
Naharin said what he looks for in Gaga is not just the movement itself, but the quality of the movement.
"It's because you can see two dancers doing the same movement. One of them will make you cry and one of them will make you sleep. And they're doing the same movement and you ask, 'Why is it? What is it?' And I'm curious to find what it is that makes me cry, that moves me. So, the quality of the movement is what I research," he added.
For Naharin, dance is a means of liberating ourselves from the "jail of our bodies," articulating this perspective on the meaning of dance.
"Many of us know the feeling of being locked inside our body. Our body becomes like a jail. But if you think of it, dancing can become the means to get you out of the jail. It's the dancing that gets us free. When I dance, I don't think [about] performing, I don't think [about] being on stage, I don't think [about] music, I don't even think [about the] audience. I think by myself. So I just need space and time. This is why anybody can do it," he said.
Describing "Decadance" as an "evolving work," Naharin said after all, his work as a choreographer is just an excuse for him to make people dance.
"My language is dance and I think the playground of 'Decadance' will allow dancers to celebrate dance."