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K-Dance NOW: Creative Trends in Korean Contemporary Dance (#1: August 28-30)

Aug 28, 2020 | 95 Hit

K-Dance NOW: Creative Trends in Korean Contemporary Dance | #1

The Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. and the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company proudly present K-Dance NOW: Creative Trends in Korean Contemporary Dance, a new monthly virtual performance series presenting insightful, cutting-edge works from Korea's premiere modern dance institution, available exclusively for just 48 hours. The first edition features Traces of Black Sand, an ethereal moving exploration of the shared origin, memory, and life journey of each individual. View it now through Sunday, August, 30 at 7:00 p.m. EST!

Traces of Black Sand

Korea National Contemporary Dance Company

Available for 48 hours only:

August 28 at 7:00 p.m. - Sunday, August 30 at 7 p.m.

When solid rock disintegrates into a handful of sand, time is filled with numerous coincidences as each individual grain comes to be. If sand is a metaphor for people, Traces of Black Sand explores our collective origins and the search to understand the forces that have shaped ourselves and our lives, leading us to this very moment. Dancers represent grains of sand as they attempt to recollect their past and discover the memories that provide meaning and purpose in life. Like a painting cast in movement upon the stage and celebrating the intrinsic beauty of the human body, dancers and musicians collide along their journey towards enlightenment, which is eventually heralded by the clarifying sound of the Korean taepyeongso. To know the truth of one's past is to be emancipated from it, readying one to look even deeper inside and further deconstruct what it means to be human.

The Korea National Contemporary Dance Company, one of the nation's premier performing arts institutions, premiered Traces of Black Sand in October of 2019 in São Paulo, Brazil, and shares it online for the first time as part of the new limited-run series K-Dance NOW: Creative Trends in Korean Contemporary Dance, presented by the Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. This performance highlights the company's signature creative blending of dance and live music, which, along with impeccable costumes, lighting, and fourth-wall-breaking surprises, draw in audiences like nothing else. Throughout the remainder of 2020, K-Dance NOW will introduce exciting new and recent contemporary dance works being choreographed today through recordings and explanations of these rarely-seen performances. For more, read on below.

Premier

World Premier: Oct. 2019 at Municipal Theatre of São Paulo, Brazil

Korea Premier: Nov. 2019 at CJ Towol Theater, Seoul Arts Center, Korea

Credits

Choreography I Ahn Sungsoo

Composer/Music Director I Ra Yesong

Lighting Designer I Kim Keonyoung

Rehearsal Director I Lee Juhee

Stage Manager I Joseph Lee

Sound Director I Oh Younghoon

This recording will be available online for 48 hours only, from Friday, August 28 at 7:00 p.m. through Sunday, August 30 at 7 p.m. (EST). Watch at the link below!

VIEW THIS PERFORMANCE!

Credit & copyright for all images: Aiden Hwang.

The Korea National Contemporary Dance Company (KNCDC), established in 2010, is Korea's only nationally-funded contemporary dance company, led by Artistic Director Jeongho Nam. In collaboration with leading Korean and international artists, KNCDC aspires to produce and present works that reach out to audiences of all generations and sectors of society with a variety of themes that touch on history, society, and daily life in today's complicated world. KNCDC strives to make contemporary dance fun rather than abstruse, with performances that audiences can intuitively understand, sympathize with, and enjoy. By protecting the rights of the artists, KNCDC also enables creators and performers to freely express their individuality within a healthy ecosystem of diverse values that also serves audiences. The company hopes to reach a broader audience through universally appealing performances that expand the contemporary dance community. Visit the KNCDC website for more.

K-Dance NOW: Creative Trends in Korean Contemporary Dance is a new limited-term virtual performing arts series that explores recent trends and techniques in Korea's contemporary dance scene through exclusive recorded performances by the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company, presented in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. With new content released monthly for the remainder of 2020, this short term program introduces exceptional Korean contemporary dance works that transcend borders and contribute to greater cross-cultural understanding. At a time when many live venues remain empty, K-Dance NOW will allow creators to communicate on an intimate level with all those interested in dance in the DC region and beyond. See the full schedule of performances below.

Performance Release Schedule

August 28 - 30 | Traces of Black Sand

September 25 - 27 | Beyond Black

October 30 - November 1 | Og

November 27 - 29 | This is Not a Game

Recordings are available for 48 hours only and release on the last Friday of each month at 7 pm EST.

Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C.

2370 Massachusetts Ave. NW | Washington, D.C. 20008

culturedc@mofa.go.kr | (202) 939-5688

The KCC is temporarily closed to visitors due to COVID-19.

We hope to see everyone back again soon!

Regular Hours: Monday - Friday | 9 am-noon & 1-6 pm