Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
Korea National Contemporary Dance Company explores meanings of family in Asia
By Park Ji-won
The poster for “My Family are Off-limits” / Courtesy of KNCDC
By Park Ji-won
The Korea National Contemporary Dance Company (KNCDC) will present a set of dance works that explore the transformation and diverse forms of family in Confucianism-based Asian societies through the eyes of choreographers from Korea, Japan and Singapore.
Under the overarching title of, “My Family are Off-limits,” the works, “♡,” by Lee Min-kyoung, ”Shut up Womb” by Shimojima Reisa and “The Last Puppet” by Kuik Swee Boon, will be presented from Nov. 19 to 21 at the Seoul Arts Center. The three dance performances will be performed by Korean dancers.
“♡” explores the side of family relationships that both changes, and stays unchanging, in a rapidly transforming society that faces the coming digital future. With the question, “Where is our real ♡?,” the work asks, “Where can we find the intimacy and safety of family in this era where blood-related communities are becoming increasingly scarce?”
In ”Shut up Womb,” Japanese dancer Shimojima Reisa questions the meaning “bloodline,” suggesting that “family” is sometimes a scary thing. In the work, she investigates the dualities of Asian families and modern societies.
In “The Last Puppet,” Singapore's Kuik Swee Boon examines the parent-child relationship in a work inspired by a Burmese folktale about four puppets. In the original story, the lead character is given four puppets by her father before leaving home. The first three puppets represent wisdom, power and knowledge, respectively, while the last puppet symbolizes zen and peace.