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International modern dance makes its way to Korea — performances to see this winter

Published: 13 Nov. 2025, 11:25

A scene from Alexander Ekman's ″Hammer″ [LG ARTS CENTER]

Works by some of the most influential names in modern dance, both Korean and international, are set to be performed in Korea in the coming weeks.

From Friday to Sunday, the Gothenburg Opera Dance Company — regarded as one of the top dance companies in Northern Europe — will perform “Hammer” at the LG Arts Center in Gangseo District, western Seoul.

Choreographed by Swedish ballet dancer Alexander Ekman, “Hammer” is one of the acclaimed choreographer’s signature works and premiered in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2022. The piece is known for its overwhelming group choreography performed by over 30 dancers and its unexpected, high-impact staging.

Ekman, who has worked with renowned institutions including Nederlands Dans Theater, the Royal Swedish Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet, is known for bold and unconventional productions. His work “Play” (2017) famously featured 40,000 green balls raining onto the stage, while in “A Swan Lake” (2014), he created a lake using 5,000 liters (1,320 gallons) of water.

At a press conference held on Wednesday at the LG Arts Center, Ekman said that he strives to do whatever he wants to actually see in the theater.

“When I go to the theater, I want to be surprised, or wild, or captured by whatever is happening on stage.”

A scene from ″Nelken,″ also known as ″Carnations,″ by Pina Bausch [LG ARTS CENTER]

“Hammer” is a satire on modern society’s addiction to smartphones, he added, which he also struggles with.

He added that the title symbolizes “breaking the ego open,” and noted that cultural differences between the individualism of the West and Korea’s collectivist culture might add an interesting layer of interpretation.

The upcoming Seoul performance will also feature Korean dancers Kim Da-young and Jung Ji-wan, both members of the Gothenburg Opera Dance Company. The company will continue its Korea tour at the Busan Cultural Center on Nov. 21 and 22.

Another major highlight coming to the theater is “Nelken,” also known as "Carnations," a signature piece by the late German choreographer Pina Bausch (1940–2009), considered a visionary who redefined 20th-century performing arts beyond the realm of dance.

Premiered in 1982 in Germany, the work is set on a stage covered in 9,000 pink carnations and explores the coexistence of beauty and violence in human society. It returned to Korean audiences for the first time in 25 years, with performances at LG Arts Center Seoul from Nov. 6 to 9, and upcoming shows at the Sejong Arts Center in Sejong on Friday and Saturday.

A performance by the Kim Bock Hee Dance Company on stage [MCT]

Veteran Korean choreographers will also present new and landmark works. Kim Bock-hee, a pioneer of modern dance in Korea, will premiere her new work “Macbeth in Reincarnation” on Nov. 22 and 23 at the Daehakro Arts Theater in Jongno District, central Seoul.

Inspired by Shakespeare’s famed “The Tragedy of Macbeth” (1623), the piece interprets the collapse of the human psyche under the weight of ambition, power and guilt through the Eastern philosophical concept of reincarnation.

Kim, who founded the Kim Bock Hee Dance Company in 1971, is known for integrating Buddhist worldviews into Korean modern dance. She also helped institutionalize the field by founding the Contemporary Dance Association of Korea in 1986.

The upcoming performance will also feature Kim’s acclaimed 2020 work “Udambara, Marriage of Blood,” based on the novel of the same name by Nam Chi-sim and created to mark the company’s 50th anniversary.

Rounding out the season, the National Dance Company of Korea will stage “Living Legacy” on Dec. 17 to 18 and Dec. 20 to 21. The performance will highlight the legacy of four legendary figures in Korean dance: Cho Heung-dong, Bae Jeong-hye, Kim Hyeon-ja and Guk Su-ho.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HA NAM-HYUN [[email protected]]