Sachoom Enthralls Crowd With Dance
By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
Following the success of ``Nanta'' (aka Cookin'), another non-verbal performance ``Sachoom'' is ready to awe fans at their very own theater. While ``Nanta'' caught the attention of viewers with their rhythmic sounds and music, ``Sachoom'' will surprise fans with blood-pumping dance moves.
``Sachoom,'' the abbreviation of ``Dance When You are in Love'' in Korean, is a ``dancical.'' The organizers explained that the performance has the elements of a musical, while the overall performance is centered on various dance repertoires.
The team recently opened its theater near Insa-dong, quite an emotional event for the dancers who have been performed at different locations for every show.
``Not many teams have their own theater, and it is overwhelming. It actually makes me more nervous because the audience will expect more,'' Choi Sung-uk, one of the dancers, told The Korea Times.
The theater's stage is lower and closer to the audience than others, allowing for more dancer-audience interaction. The stage also has two small screens giving brief subtitles in Korean, English and Japanese.
``Sachoom'' follows a story line that depicts the love, friendship and passion of three close friends.
It starts with the friendship of two boys and a girl. One boy, however, finds that he is the least talented dancer among his friends. Determined to become one of the top dancers, he struggles to catch his peers' attention.
The audience can enjoy diverse and sensational dance moves rooted in tango, hip-hop, modern, traditional and even jazz dance. Divided into nine sections, each part shows distinctive styles and will surely wow the visitors.
The dance is impressive, but the storyline may be a bit puzzling for some, for the dancers use quick ad-libs between the scenes that are hard to catch. Nevertheless, the performance is full of energy and exhilaration.
There were also some unique dance moves that were inspired by Korean traditional dances and sports moves like Taekwondo.
``It was very energetic, funny and interesting. It was definitely a fusion,'' Margaret Whittum, director of Theater Seoul said after she watched the performance.
``Sachoom'' premiered in 2004 and has been onstage more than 700 times for the last three and a half years. It toured 34 cities here and also headed overseas to broaden their audience. The team is planning to have joint performances with Japan in both countries, and also participate in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Scotland this coming August.
Held at the Sachoom Theater on the fourth floor of Nakwon building near Insa-dong, it is staged at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays to Fridays; 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays; and 4 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets cost from 25,000 to 50,000 won. For more info, visit www.lovedance.co.kr or call (02) 3676-7616.