By Lee Hyo-won
The globetrotting Seo Company will showcase its latest dance piece, “A Table,” at Towol Theater, Seoul Arts Center, Thursday and Friday.
The premiere is the latest work to be presented by the contemporary dance troupe led by Korean choreographer Misook Seo. She is known for working with premier dancers from different nationalities for works that push the boundaries of aesthetics.
Her works have been praised for their poetic yet dynamic interplay of forms and movement. “...Brilliant technique opens neo-classical dance to new dimensions of a surprising sensuality. This dance is modern and dynamic. It never ceases to amaze the eye of the viewer. Let ’s not be afraid to compare her to the young Forsythe,” said European magazine Ballet Tanz about her piece “About Somewhere Else.”
The upcoming piece “A Table,” meaning “At the Table” in French, explores the nature of human desire, from the most basic needs such as hunger for food to the yearning for power and sexual dominance, as well as those incited by breaking taboos and liberation.
The piece features strong theatrical elements as well as operatic vocals. It depicts six men at the table, desperately drunk and hungry to satisfy endless desires. The men are led to devour everything and anything around, ultimately resulting in self-destruction and dire loneliness.
Seo became internationally renowned after “Fluid” was unveiled at the prestigious Avignon Festival in France in 2006. She has since been noted by renowned art critics such as Georges Banu and her company has gone on to perform at the Sibiu International Festival in Romania and the International Edinburgh Festival in 2007.
That same year, she was invited back home to do choreography projects for Seoul Arts Center’s opera “Carmen.” In 2008 she was commissioned by the Festival Danse en Place at Montauban, France to create a work featuring 10 dancers, “Chaos in the Silence,” which was hailed by French critics for its “powerful choreography, bold experiments with dazzling dance, passion, violence and delicacy.”
“In this sometimes chaotic world, if I can touch people in the middle of their soul, to make them aware that the universe does not have any borders, that beauty is omnipresent, and inspire them to hope, then I will be happy. Life is beautiful,” said Seo in a statement.
The piece features costumes by Jerome Kaplan, the Paris-based designer who has worked for renowned ballet companies of Monte Carlo, Lorraine and Beijing; the lighting is by Felice Ross and sets by Park Kyong.
Tickets cost from 20,000 to 50,000 won. Call (02) 3673-2561.
hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr