By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
The contemporary dance performance ``Nefes,'' choreographed by the renowned Pina Bausch, will be staged in Korea from March 13-16.
Bubbles float in the air as male dancers massage each other in a Turkish bath, while women stand swinging their hair. Other dancers appear from the dress of another dancer.
The 67-year-old German choreographer and dancer Bausch, created Nefes based on a three-week stay in Istanbul, Turkey in 2002 at the invitation of The International Istanbul Theatre Festival and the Istanbul Foundation of Culture and Arts. It premiered in Wuppertal, Germany, 2003 and has been performed in France, Spain and United States also.
The title of the dance, means ``breath'' in Turkish. The simple black set with flowing water, created by Peter Pabst, is just like Istanbul, the city of water. The performance will depict the exotic city where East meets West, and the people living there.
``Nefes is not just a dance about Istanbul. It is about us who live this moment. That's what we want to express through the dance,'' said Bausch.
Nefes is the fifth dance by Bausch to be introduced to Korea and the 11th in her ``City'' series.
Bausch's first in the series ``Viktor'' was inspired by Rome, Italy, in 1986. She later composed ``Tanzabend II'' (1991) for Madrid, Spain, ``Only You'' (1996) for California, U.S. and ``Agua'' (2001) for Sao Paulo, Brazil.
``Rough Cut'' (2005) was a dance about Seoul, Korea, which Bausch choreographed in collaboration with the LG Arts Center. The latest work in the series is ``Bamboo Blues'' (2007) for India.
Bausch is the artistic director and choreographer of the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch company, based in Wuppertal, Germany. She refuses to employ conventional forms of dance but creates strong, meaningful gestures. There are 20 dancers from 16 countries in the company and Bausch choreographs with these dancers by letting them express their thoughts and emotions as dance.
The show will be performed at LG Arts Center, southern Seoul, from March 13-16. The performance is at 8:00 p.m. on weekdays and 4:00 p.m. on weekends. Ticket prices range from 40,000 to 120,000 won. Call (02) 2005-0114 or visit www.lgart.com for more information.