'No Names' Put Their Touch on Choreography

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'No Names' Put Their Touch on Choreography

Young Koreans are beginning to take an interest in directing traditional Korean dance, contemporary dance and ballet in Korea, although choreography has been traditionally the province of ex-dancers or established veterans of the art. A group of 21 choreographers in their mid-20s to early 30s is participating in the third Dance 2000 Festival at Theater Zero near Hongik University, the center of local avant-garde scene.

These choreographers are dubbed mu-myeong in Korean, meaning "no name," as they have yet to establish a reputation in the competitive dance world though they are considered rising stars by some dance companies. The dance festival is an important opportunity for these new faces, with those proving they have the mettle invited to next year's Korea Japan Dance Festival to take place in Korea and Japan. Last year, the winners of the Dance 2000 Festival, Rhyu Hee-joo and Kim Soo-young, were awarded a place in this year's Korea Japan Dance Festival. The organizer of both dance festivals, the Korea-Japan Dance Council, intends to offer a new dance vision for the millennium by including new talents and experimental works in the festivals.

Particularly noteworthy presentations by mu-myeong choreographers include Kim Hyun-jin's "Naked...," a contemporary dance, Lee Hyeon Kyeong's "Who Moved My Television," an experimental performance and An Seung-hyun's "The Beginning of Remembrance," styled on traditional Korean dance. "Naked...," which depicts a rather disturbing journey of a human being through the politics of the body, will be performed on Thursday and Friday and "The Beginning of Remembrance" will be staged on March 21 and March 22. "Who Moved my Television," inspired by the American best-selling novel, "Who Moved My Cheese," will take place on Thursday. The show, which will include these works and others, starts at 8 p.m. on weekdays and 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is 12,000 won ($10). Those who present their ticket stubs when purchasing additional tickets will get a 50-percent discount on other festival performances.

The festival runs through March 28.

For more information, call 02-3143-2561 (Korean service only).



by Park So-young

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