Lee Jae-young is the leader of the dance unit known as company SIGA, a troupe founded in 2013 using the fundamentals he cultivated at Seoul Institute of the Arts and Hansung University. Since 2010, Lee has achieved remarkable success as an emerging choreographer and dancer with mass appeal. Beginning with winning the Grand Prize at the 2009 Seoul Performing Arts Festival(SPAF) and being named 2012’s Rising Star at the Korea Performing Arts Center(HANPAC), and has been invited to join the Seoul International Dance Festival(SIDance) and Performing Arts Market in Seoul(PAMS Choice) this October.

When examining Lee and company SIGA’s works, one could imagine and expect that their appeal could translate well to an international stage. A prime example is Rest, the work that swept that year’s Korean dance festivals since its 2011 premiere. Reading the production notes on this two-person performance that illustrates the earnestness and emptiness of rest: the body acts as a basketball. As we watch the movement progress through dribbling, pivoting, blocking, and shooting, the response was reminiscent of that received by Nanta(another non-verbal performance) at the The Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Also present at PAMS, Lee connects with the audience through ＜Rest＞. We met up with him to discuss what makes up this work’s combination modern dance, international viability, mass appeal, and artistic quality.

Segmented Movement, Differentiation by Partner

Q(Han Jeong-ho): The group name “company SIGA” is quite unique.

A(Lee Jae-young) : In Korean, it means “gradually permeating.” In English, we call it “company SIGA.” We also thought it would be fun to naturally think of “cigar” or “cigarette” when you hear the name.

Q : The performances set to be staged at SIDance and PAMS are different.

A : First off, the work ＜Equilibrium＞ is set to go on at SIDance (Oct. 8 at the Gangdong Arts Center) and derives its name from the movie of the same title. Personally, I enjoy mathematical theory and happened to read Jeremy Rifkin’s 『Entropy 』(1980). A friend of mine who is a scientific researcher explained it (entropy) as the highest point of disorder, a point when balance is destroyed. From here I thought the concept could capture a broader, societal meaning. Rest, the work to be staged at PAMS(Oct. 9 at the National Theater of Korea Studio Byeol, 3:30 p.m.), is a work in which I have gone through about four or five different partners, each time slightly changing the details. Each partner had their own individual style, so the details varied to accommodate each dancer’s characteristics. For example, with a female partner I would dance more carefully, whereas with male dancers it would be more acrobatic and with a higher volume of energy.

Q : For instance, in ＜Rest＞, some of the movements include using your partner’s neck as a basketball, bouncing from the ground, similar to Emio Greco. The amusement given by the intense movement is reminiscent of Xavier Le Roy.

A : I personally like to make each joint very segmented to move like a system. Perhaps Greco’s movements expand from a state of an accumulation of such a framework. Greco also mainly stages one- to two-person performances, which I prefer myself. If I do expand then I can comfortably stage a performance with up to five performers. When I make a new work it is usually about 20 minutes long, but for a work such as ＜Guitarist＞, it can run for up to 40.

The Collaborative Scope/Range of Acrobatics and Hip-hop

Q : Filling a 40-minute performance with acrobats as well as holding the audience’s attention for that long is no easy feat.

A : I have yet to form a duet lasting 40 minutes or longer. I am in the process of pulling together a pure two-person dance. I first started working with my partner, Kwon-hyeok, on the performance in 2012. I found a solution while discussing hip-hop with him.

Q : can be easily understood and enjoyed by overseas fans as well. Do you believe hip-hop is the source of this?

A : When I am choreographing I am not the type to consider a piece’s mass appeal, and I do not worry too much about the final product, aside from it having wit. Many of my peers began dance with hip-hop. In my case, I do not draw a line between hip-hop and dance theater; I thought there was no need to discard the hip-hop that is in my body. When I first began choreographing, I wondered, “What is the essence of my dance?” and it seems to be mime and robot dance. I wanted to show exactly how I can fuse these movements together in Rest.

Q : What is the range of music that hip-hop can collaborate with? Choreographer José Montalvo and dancer Dominique Hervieu even fuse hip-hop with baroque music.

A : There are many genres within hip-hop itself, and there is a definitely a point where hip-hop meets classical music. I personally do not choreograph my routines to suit the music, but rather make the dance first and then find music to put on top of it. In my younger days, when I did street jam, I liked jazz and funky music. I do not restrict myself to one genre of music, and I listen to everything from pansori to jazz, but I still do not care much for classical music.

The Difficulties of Building a Repertoire with the Current Production System

Q : How do you strike a balance with a new production and the existing repertoire?

A : I try to make a new work every year or so. I believe that it is necessary to have some time between works and to focus on improving portions of existing pieces as they are re-staged. The conditions are still quite tough for a choreographer hoping to receive commission and also create a repertoire. It is hard to continuously produce works with a mid- or long-term plan. Normally, we begin working on a new piece when I receive an invitation from a festival or we pass a foundation screening. In this year’s case, I wanted to upgrade an existing work and re-stage it, but it did not pass the screening stage. The current structure has production depending on yearly festival screenings since theaters do not make long-term plans, so it is difficult to build up any kind of repertoire in these conditions. Supposing we did pass the screening process, there still remains a lot of administrative work to be done. In these instances, we would ideally only use the card provided to us by the foundation, but when purchasing props or costumes we run into difficulties because there are many sellers that still only accept cash.

Q : How long have you been in cooperation with PAMS?

A : This summer we had a performance workshop in the Congo and South Africa, and Rest was offered sponsorship toward the end of this workshop. The domestic reception for Rest was positive, and when it was staged in Singapore last year or Belgium this year, the reviews said it was a work that invokes a humorous Korean image. I wanted to revive this in a modern way, communicating with the audience while thinking of myself as a clown from a theatrical perspective.

Q : Is it possible to stage a hip-hop performance with Korean virtues either domestically or overseas?

A : For ＜Rest＞, I wanted to take one work and run with it to the end. Starting from movement, if you take daily happenings overlapping with other images and listen to music, it can be witty. Since hip-hop has a basic groove, though there are many segmented movements, if we can find an appropriately-sized theater then there should be no problem keeping the audience interested.

Hip-hop Infused with Korean-style Humor

Q : Is there any other genre that you use want to use to supplement the union of Korean humor with hip-hop?

A : Mime. It was interesting working with the performers to transform everyday movements. I had not seen many other dance companies’ performances since I was young. Somehow, I felt that if I did, the afterimage would linger too long and I was afraid I would become influenced by it. Though I enjoy ballet training, I did not once see any performances by the Korean National Ballet, Universal Ballet or any other domestic or foreign ballet companies.

Q : If you do not see other performances than you may miss out on the flow of the scene.

A : Personally, trendiness is what I most despise. Rather than going too deep into some scene and floundering about, I would rather be outside doing my own work. During university I deliberately chose to see works that other people said were not good; it was akin to finding a hidden gem. Alternatively, I enjoy watching movies and going to exhibitions. Though they are different genres, they express similar discourses related the modern times. For example, despite having my own feelings about the Sewol incident, I do not wish to create a work based on this issue. Dance is a genre that needs to be careful about giving direct commentary on current issues.

ⒸCompany SIGA