The Place and the Korean Cultural Centre in London are excited to continue their partnership, even in this difficult year, to present their annual Festival of Korean Dance 2020 as a special online edition.

Over the past two years, A Festival of Korean Dance has introduced audiences in London to the rich and vibrant Korean contemporary dance scene. This year, from Wed 2 – Sat 5 Dec 2020 an online edition will give audiences across the world a chance to dive even deeper into Korean dance. Thel digital content will be FREE to view on The Place’s website for 30 days, until 9 JAN 2021. The online festival will include:

The documentary films, specially commissioned and filmedin September/ October 2020 in partnership with KAMS(Korean Arts Management Service), feature four of Korea’s most influential female contemporary choreographers, Yoon Jung Bae, Bora Kim, Jin Yeob Cha and Sung Im Her. Also, Sung Im Her acclaimed show Nutcrusher will be performed on online in 2020 Seoul Performing Arts Festival in South Korea, managed by KAMS.

Yoon Jung Bae, the hidden contributor to the K-pop craze offers a peek into the world of Yoon Jung Bae, the choreographer behind some of the high octane danceroutines of K-pop’s biggest bands. Known for its addictive melodies, slick choreography, and production values, K-pop has become a global phenomenon. Featuring rehearsal footage from the dance studio, clips from hit K-pop music videos,exclusive interviews with Bae, and an insight into her role as a pioneer forchoreographer’s rights, this short film celebrates the talent behind the K-pop craze! (Launching 2 DEC)

Jin Yeob Cha, an artist who crosses time and space follows one of South Korea’s most celebrated dancers and choreographers. Jin Yeob Cha, founder and artistic director of Collective A, has been the director of choreography for the opening and closing ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games and worked with numerous companies and choreographers internationally. Known for her boundary breaking style across art forms and technology, the documentary shows Cha preparing for a new online show as she challenges herself to create work for a new performance culture in the COVID era. (Launching 3 DEC)

Sung Im Her will follow the South Korean choreographer who is based in London. Her acclaimed show Nutcrusher was performed at The Place in autumn 2019. This documentary shines a light on Sung Im Her’s career to date using interviews, clips of performances, and behind-the-scenes footage. Following her on her latest project Percolate, created during the current Covid-19 pandemic in collaboration with photographer Rachel Cherry and Siobhan Davies Studio, viewers will observe the artistic process from idea to production, as well as gain an insight into how Sung Im Her juggles her professional and family life, and how all her roles are affected by the pandemic. (Launching 4 DEC)

[TheApro Choice - for more details]

A documentary on Bora Kim’sunusual performance weaves together aspectsof Bora Kim’s life, giving an access-all-areas look at the choreographer’smulti-faceted and rich personal and professional experiences, from rehearsalsand teaching at Korea National University of Arts, to her feminist activism,and her marriage to Jaeduk Kim artistic director of Modern Table Dance Company.Through interviews and clips of her work, this documentary shows constant re-invention,as Bora Kim adapts her live performance Somoo into a digital form due tothe pandemic, and follows the creation of her new online work The Body,Reset to Zero, which was presented at 2020 Sidance (Seoul InternationalDance Festival) on 6 November 2020. (Launching 5 DEC)

On 3 DEC, audiences will have the opportunity to watch thefull-length dance show Beyond Black performed by Korea National Contemporary Dance Company,Korea’s pivotal nationalperforming arts companies, and the country’s top production company ofcontemporary dance works. Beyond Black explores whether Artificial Intelligence(AI) will ever be able to reproduce the complexity and emotion of humansdancing. This 20-minute stage production has been beautifully filmed, capturingthe immediacy of the live event and the intimacy that film can provide. Beyond Black will be available to view until 17 DEC.

*Link: https://www.theplace.org.uk/whats-on/collections/festival-korean-dance-2020-online-edition