Improvisation dance. The definition of "improvisation" in the Korean dictionary is an emotion arising spontaneously, in the given space or a mood of having such an emotion." Meet Mr. Kwangryul JANG, the artistic director of Seoul International Improvisation Dance Festival who created a festival out of the world of improvisation dance. This dance genre allows the audience to have a glimpse of the dancer’’s philosophy and thoughts because the dancer goes beyond the existing fixed choreography.

"A Genre That Could Help Us Develop a Potential Audience of Dance"

Q : I want to focus my first question on the fact that you have created a festival with the theme of improvisation dance, among many dance genres. What made you come up with the idea of Seoul International Improvisation Dance Festival which celebrates its 13th anniversary this year?

A : An improvised performance is made up of dancers’’ improvised movements so it doesn’’t have any artificial element. Improvisation dance is important for two reasons. First, improvisation dance can enable dancers to enrich their choreography and develop creativity. Second, improvisation can play a crucial role in allowing the general public including adults, adolescents and disabled persons to communicate through dance. When I came up with the idea of making such a festival, improvisation had already become an official genre of performing arts in the US and Europe but the genre wasn’’t widely known in the Korean dance scene. Thus, I wanted to promote the importance of improvisation to Koreans.

Q : What is the attractiveness of improvisation dance?

A : In a certain way, improvisation can be regarded as the "purest movement made by humans." Getting out of a planned work and a standardized performance, every movement is made instantly. The audience’’s active participation and the dancers’’ improvised ideas are rapidly transformed into colorful movements, acting and gestures using only their bodies. Improvisation dance gathers together movements, thoughts and energy that are made instantly. Improvisation could be seen as either very sophisticated or very crude. So improvisation itself is a pure movement. That is why not only professional dancers but also the general public can enjoy this genre. Koreans usually enjoy singing and dancing. Thus, they might feel awkward and doing improvisation dance for the first time but they will become confident after dancing several times. Above all, improvisation dance allows them to feel familiar with and become considerate of others through mutual contact. Therefore, improvisation can develop a potential audience for dance.

Q : Please tell me about the program of Seoul International Improvisation Dance Festival.

A : Ever since the Festival began, its slogan has been "Meet the Purest Form of Dance!" At first, its program was focused on professional dancers. Five years later, the Festival came to take place not only in Seoul but also in other regions in Korea. A few years ago, it started increasing the number of improvisation performances designed for the general public. After the Festival’’s 10th anniversary, it launched co-produced performances as well as an improvisation dance festival exchange with other Asian countries. The Festival pursues high-quality improvised performances and its program is composed of diverse kinds of improvisation dance (solo, duet, group, contact, crossover, etc.). This "improvised party" continues for seven or ten hours in a row and is for the general public or dancers without much experience in improvisation. The Festival’’s sections targeting the general public are focused more on workshops than on performances; these sections focus on helping them understand their body through movements and experiencing the transformation of creative ideas in their heart into dance movements. After helping them experience a variety of movements through workshops, the Festival also gives them a chance to perform so that they can feel a sense of achievement by presenting an artistic performance to others and so they can better understand how artists work.

Q : I was surprised to find out that there are so many improvisation classes offered during the Festival.

A : Improvisation can be an important tool of choreography for professional dancers. In that sense, improvisation dance is difficult and it requires a particular kind of prompt thinking. That is why improvisation also requires techniques. Dancers need to make efforts to make an improvisation from a certain idea. In particular, contact improvisation requires special techniques enabling them to contact other dancers. Under these circumstances, in an attempt to help them learn these methods in different classes, the Festival focuses not only on inviting high-level improvisation artists but also on artists and trainers who are known for their improvisation methods. Plus, the artists who participate in the Festival learn from each other. For example, an artist mastering method A meets another one with method B. They attend each other’’s classes, share information on improvisation dance and learn a new method. This learning process is the greatest strength of the Festival. Meanwhile, dancers also learn new ideas and techniques by watching other dancers’’ performances during the festival.

"The World of Improvisation Dance: Dreaming of Diverse Ways of Communication"

Q : What is interesting about Seoul International Improvisation Dance Festival is its intention of expanding its network of improvisation dance by cooperating with other Asian regions such as Fukuoka and Guangzhou. While it hasn’’t been easy to promote improvisation in Korea, hasn’’t it been even more difficult to cooperate with foreign regions?

A : It is worth focusing on the fact that the importance of improvisation dance is increasing worldwide. Merely two years ago, Seoul International Improvisation Dance Festival was Asia’’s only improvisation dance festival. But over the last two or three years, other Asian countries have gradually been interested in improvisation. Recently, dance has become an important means of international cooperation with China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia. In this context, these countries have also become more and more interested in improvisation. In 2012, the Festival sent its artists to Fukuoka and Tokyo and this year, it will send them to Fukuoka and Guangzhou.

Q : Planning the Festival, have you found anything that needs to improve about Korean festivals in general?

A : Since most Korean festivals receive public support, they should benefit as many people as possible. As these festivals invite performing companies from overseas, festival organizers need to make efforts to have these companies perform not only in Seoul but also in other Korean regions so that residents of these regions can also enjoy the performances. In addition, Korean festivals should allow participants and other interested parties to network. For example, during a festival held in Maracaibo, Venezuela in which I participated before, there were lectures and demonstrations at 11 a.m., rehearsals in the afternoon and performances in the evening. Under the conditions of the festival contract signed by performing companies, they must provide local residents with lectures and demonstrations for an hour and half in order to be able to perform during the event. For the first 30 minutes, they give a lecture on the characteristics of their country’’s culture. For the next 30 minutes, they show their works. Finally for the last 30 minutes, they have a Q & A session. About 1,500 local residents, regardless of their age, from children to the elderly, participated in the demonstration. Such an occasion can make local residents interested in another country’’s arts and culture and in the country of Korea. In particular, watching dance performances can allow them to better understand Korean arts and culture.

"What is the Future Direction of Improvisation Dance?"

Q : I heard that you have prepared improvisation festivals in other Korean regions, starting with the Busan Improvisation Dance Festival in 2003. Except for festivals, what other ways can we use to invigorate local arts and culture?

A : Korea has as many as 280 public theaters including local cultural centers. However, more than 30% of these theaters don’’t present any dance performances at all during the year. Maybe because they think that dance is difficult, the theaters mostly present musicals or plays. Consequently, local residents enjoy only particular art genres. If the theaters invite overseas dance companies, their perception of dance could change. Diverse forms of international exchange taking place in other Korean regions will not only disperse cultural events once concentrated in Seoul but also contribute to invigorating the Korean dance scene.

Q : What programs are you preparing for in 2013?

A : Seoul International Improvisation Dance Festival will be held in Seoul for about seven days and in other regions for about four days, in total a little more than ten days. Last year, the festival was organized in cooperation with several other Asian countries so it went on for 16 days. Every year, between 12 and 15 foreign artists from seven or eight different countries participate in the Festival. Including Korean performing companies and artists, the number of participants reaches about 300. The Festival also offers about 20 workshop classes. For 2013, first, we’’re making a program designed to strengthen networking in Asia through improvisation. Since the Festival is the only Asian festival of its kind, we’’d like to vitalize improvisation dance by bringing a variety of improvisation-related programs or overseas workshops to Asia. We’’re planning to network with Fukuoka, Japan and Guangzhou, China. Second, considering the fact that improvisation is the predominant means of performance during the Festival, it will present three improvised performances in cooperation with several countries. Third, the Festival will also offer a program designed to enable a particular group of people to experience improvisation. This year, Korea and Finland will present together an improvised performance along with people with disabilities.

Q : What do you hope for when you are organizing an improvisation dance festival,?

A : I hope that improvisation will continue to contribute to the diversification of all forms of dance performance. Music is also crucial for an improvised dance performance but currently, there aren’’t many musical groups specializing in improvisation music. I also hope that the Festival will encourage more artists to play such music. Meanwhile, I want improvisation to provide everyone with more opportunities to naturally perceive movements and to think more creatively. This "everyone" could be not only adults but also children, adolescents and professionals such as doctors and jurists. Another hope is that improvisation will encourage more local performing events, so that the international exchange activities currently concentrated in Seoul can spread to other regions. Lastly, I hope that international exchange will contribute to the development of the Asian dance scene and that in Korea, improvisation dance festivals will further strengthen networking among artists.