Intro

A choreographic documentary that traces how bodies are controlled in a system by overlapping dance competitions and Korea’s mandatory military service

Synopsis

Historical records tell us that Korea＇s contemporary dance developed rapidly to have today’s form after the Matha Graham Technique was introduced from the United States in 1963. However, something is missing in the records: story of the link between male dancers’ exemption from their mandatory military service and dance competitions. Such a link is directly connected to Korea＇s modern history. Because of the division of the Korean peninsula, Korean men who reach the age of 18 must fulfill their military service. However, since 1983, the winner of the grand prize at the Dong-A Dance Competition has been exempted from his military duty. Based on such a historical background, the theme of this project is The Bodily Record on the History of Korea＇s Contemporary Dance: The Glorious No.1. After such a benefit of exemption took effect, the country’s regime, which was entirely irrelevant to the dancing field, started to influence the internal system, training method and dance styles significantly. The military service system, which was purely set up to be prepared for war, drove male dancers to engage in another bloody war of their own to win the benefit of exemption from the military service through the dance competition. It was deemed personal glory, which is earned in exchange for the exemption from protecting the country, Such glory stands in contrast to the glory of protecting the country. The project aims to flash back to the glorious moments by delving into the male dancers＇ successes and failures and to see how they have used their bodies in the process of preparing their stage.

 ​