Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
INTERVIEW Kim Bora emerges as spotlighted contemporary choreographer on global stage
By Anna J. Park
Choreographer Kim Bora. She leads her dance company "Art Project BORA." Courtesy of Jinwoo Mok
By Anna J. Park
Kim Bora, 37, is one of Korea's most sought-after choreographers. This year alone, she and her dance company Art Project BORA have been invited to perform at dance festivals in seven countries, including Germany, Belgium, the U.K. and Canada.
During an interview with The Korea Times, Kim talked about her decision to become a choreographer, her representative dance works, her recent performance “MUAK” at the 22nd Seoul International Dance Festival (SIDance), and her hopes and dreams.
Kim recalled that the thought of becoming a choreographer emerged during her time at the Korea National University of Arts (K-ARTS).
“Ever since I was young, I was always interested in creating things. I loved doing art, dancing and making clothes. When I first entered university, I hoped to learn more about how to move. Some three years after, I started to dream about becoming a choreographer. Almost every semester, I had a chance to create an original dance work, which allowed me to experiment more than others,” she said.
Upon graduating from university, she went straight to Berlin to search for a job with a European dance company.
“What I had in mind then was that I wished to meet choreographers and learn how they work in real situations, while I could study movements as a dancer at a dance company. I got auditioned, and worked at dance companies in Ireland and Switzerland. I learned a lot in a few years, and returned to Korea as I thought I was ready to make my own work,” she said.
Art Project BORA's “MUAK” during this year's SIDance program questions the fixed notions of sounds and movements, by deconstructing the piano by seven dancers. Courtesy of Jinwoo Mok
After returning to Korea, Kim was chosen to participate in a program of the Arts Council Korea designed to support the next generation of choreographers. Over the following six months, she made her solo dance work “A Long Talk to Oneself.”
“I made every movement of the work with my heart, yet I didn't know how to present the work for an international audience. Fortunately, the work received the Grand Prix award at the Seoul International Choreography Festival in 2012 and the Jury's Prize at the Yokohama Dance Collection in 2014. Through winning the prizes, my work became known to dance festival organizers around the world,” Kim said.
“SIDance's artistic director Lee Jong-ho helped me a lot by providing much information on how international distribution markets operate. I was given the chance to present my work at SIDance's 'Who's Next?' program section, and I began to be invited by more festivals in other countries. Gradually, my work evolved from solo dancing to trio work the following year. It became a five-member group the next year and now I run a 10-member dance company,” she said.
“In Korea, international exchanges among contemporary choreographers became very active in the late 2000s, and I think I was lucky to benefit from such a booming period.”
45-minute “Tail Language” is one of the most frequently performed repertoires of her dance company. Courtesy of Art Project BORA
Although she said luck played a part, the fact that she is frequently invited back by major international dance festivals around the world proves there's universal appeal to her choreography.
For example, she was asked to perform “Tail Language,” one of the representative works by her dance company premiered in 2014, at about 30 cities in some 20 countries so far, along with other repertoires. The 45-minute performance was first inspired by the gestures of animals.
“I cannot really explain how I get inspiration for my work. It just comes from every moment of daily life. With Tail Language, it all started with my impressions of cats' extraordinary flexibility and special mobile ability. As I studied their movements more closely, I came up with the work that involves imaginary animals' gestures. Through the work, I hoped to convey that we humans are often forgetful about instinctive language or senses, while soaked in hypocritical and superficial intellectualism,” Kim explained.
“Somoo” is one of representative repertoires by Art Project BORA. The performance contains social and gender messages. Courtesy of Taemin Cho
“Somoo” is another representative work of her dance company that the group is often invited to perform at major dance festivals around the world. Premiered in 2015, the piece has been performed in numerous countries including the U.K., Italy, Brazil and Belgium.
“Somoo was inspired by a traditional Korean female mask called gaksital or bridal mask. This is the only female mask in traditional Korean culture, yet it does not smile. I embedded social and gender messages in this piece,” she said.
Art Project BORA presents “MUAK” during this year's SIDance program. Inspired by composer Yun Isang's score, the 60-minute performance delves into the theme of fixed ideas on sounds and movements. Courtesy of Jinwoo Mok
During the ongoing SIDance festival, her company Art Project BORA showcased “Muak,” a 60-minute contemporary dance piece choreographed by her. The work was first premiered last year, yet she redesigned the performance for the SIDance stage.
“I wanted to deconstruct the notions of music and dance. The piece was originally inspired by the renowned Korean-German composer Yun Isang's score with the same title. On stage, seven dancers disassembled the piano, challenging people's fixed ideas on sound and movements,” she explained.
“After the performance, there was a talk session with audience members. Many asked interesting and sharp questions, and it was so grateful to meet them and that I could convey what I have been thinking directly to them.”
Kim thinks her talents as a choreographer are based on her focus on the visual.
“Some people get inspired by writing or stories, but I get them from images, and those images directly speak to me. My narratives are different from conventional ones in a story, but I think I am able to conduct what I call image-telling,” she said.
“My inspiration became also stronger as I perform on stages in other countries. Traditional Korean cultural elements felt fresh to me, so I added them in my work. Many critics outside of Korea said my pieces have a unique individual style, neither Western nor Asian. It's nice to hear such compliments, as I think those at the boundary between East and West are most attractive.”
Kim Bora and U.K.-based Marc Brew co-choreograph “Zero,” which had its premiere in early 2018. Courtesy of Art Project BORA
Besides having several performances overseas, she collaborates regularly with choreographers from outside of Korea. She tries to come up with at least two new pieces every year, while carefully planning a year's schedule for the company.
“The continuity of my efforts becomes the source of my energy. Some choreographers start to work only after a performance is slated to be held. In my case, I prefer to work at a steady and consistent pace, even though that's hard,” she stressed.
Her dream is to continue to create choreography and able to sustain her dance company financially.
“I have so much more to create and express through dance, yet financial problems are always present. In an effort to address them, our dance company is aiming to establish a system next year through which we can organize our methods and movements. It could take many years, but I hope this initiative could serve as a stepping stone for further promoting our dances to the public and to other dancers,” she said.
“Seasons” is choreographed by Kim Bora, and was performed by the Singapore-based T.H.E Dance Company in August 2018. Courtesy of Art Project BORA