North American Premiere of “One Dance” Korean Arts Week NYC

Contemporary Reimagining of Traditional Korean Dance Creates a Feast for the Eyes & Soul Highlight of Korean Arts Week

Part of Summer for the City with Additional Free Cultural Events

July 20-22, 2023

David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center

SK Group, the second-largest conglomerate in South Korea, is proud to present Sejong Center’s One Dance during Korean Arts Week, part of Summer for the City at Lincoln Center. This is one of SK Group’s latest efforts to fulfill its corporate social responsibilities by promoting the cultural heritage of South Korea to the world.

Performed by 39 of Korea’s most skilled dancers from Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre, this contemporary reinterpretation of the ceremonial Korean traditional dance plays the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts for three performances only from July 20-22. Along with free events, One Dance and Korean Arts Week showcase the magnificent depth and breadth of Korean culture through some of the country’s most distinctive talents. Tickets for One Dance, starting at $30, are available online or phone by calling 212.496.0600. 

In today’s world where Korean culture, arts, and fashion continue to dominate daily headlines, One Dance simultaneously captures the grandeur of Korean tradition while bringing the best of its contemporary dance to the forefront. The show honors centuries of rich Korean tradition through modern reinterpretations of royal Korean dance, music, fashion, and art. 

Told in four distinct acts, the 70-minute modern reimagining of the treasured ancient ceremonial dance known as Jongmyo Jeryeak is set to a contemporary music soundtrack inspired by traditional Korean court music and features over three dozen of Korea’s finest dancers from Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre. From the powerful and vibrant sword dance set to pulsating drums to the weightlessness of flowing robes forming elegant tessellations in the “Chunengmu” ceremony, One Dance is a celebration of Korea’s growing global cultural influence, showcased through the very aesthetic motifs from its past that continue to influence contemporary Korean art today.

The overall direction of One Dance, including its artistic and creative direction, is helmed by Kuho Jung, a creative director in fashion and the arts. Jung’s creative vision and career mission of the modernization of traditional Korean aesthetics can be felt in every beat of the show’s visually stimulating set pieces, through which Jung weaves a tapestry of stunning mise-en-scène for the 39 dancers, resulting in a picturesque stage that instills a sense of harmony and balance. This vision of Korean performance is masterfully accompanied by the traditional Korean dance choreography of Hyejin Jeong—Artistic Director of Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre—who offers her unparalleled mastery of Korean traditional dance, and modern dance choreography from Sung Hoon Kim and Jae Duk Kim. 

“We are pleased to present a newly re-envisioned production of Sejong Center’s One Dance during Korean Arts Week,” said an SK Group official. “With the event, we aim to not only showcase the artistic excellence of Korean culture but also foster cultural exchange and understanding among diverse communities.”

In addition to One Dance, over a dozen free cultural events are slated to take place for Korean Arts Week during Summer for the City at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and other sites across the city. Among the many highlights is the unparalleled immersive experience WAVE, hosted in The David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center from July 19-22. Conceived by d’strict, a Seoul-based company at the forefront of digital design and world-renowned for its mesmerizing media art projects, the breathtaking video art installation sends viewers on a thrilling journey. Crashing and roaring, this paradoxical WAVE engulfs everything in its path but is ultimately restrained within an otherworldly space.

This year, Korean Arts Week will not be contained to a singular week, with Celebrate Korea taking over Rockefeller Center all summer long from June through August. New Yorkers and visitors from around the world are invited to experience the best in Korean culture, art, cuisine, fashion, and music in one of the city’s most iconic locations, culminating in a week of special events and pop-ups in collaboration with surrounding retailers. On display from July 17 to August 27, this free exhibit of contemporary Korean art curated by Artue will highlight younger and emerging artists including Sungsic Moon, Park Chan-wook, Jina Park, Heejoon Lee, HaSeulLin Jeong, and Hyundoo Jung. Demonstrating the wide spectrum of some of Korea’s most notable talents’ artistic practices, the exhibition will offer a glimpse into the present state and future potential of Korean art.

Meanwhile, SK Group, presenter of Korean Arts Week, has diverse business operations in the U.S. With a focus on key industries spanning semiconductors, EV batteries, and clean energy solutions, SK Group has been increasing its presence and investment in the U.S. Last year, the group announced its plan to invest an additional $22 billion in the U.S. critical industries, including EV batteries, over next few years. 

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won announced during the first Trans-Pacific Dialogue 2021 held in the U.S. that SK companies will invest $40 billion over the next four years in the U.S., aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Kuho Jung is a creative director actively involved in graphic design, film costume design, spatial design, stage art design, traditional dance, and contemporary dance. Through his work on Poise, a commemorative piece for the 50th anniversary of the Korean National Ballet in 2012, Kuho Jung established a connection with the National Theater of Korea and began directing performances for the National Dance Company of Korea. He achieved consecutive successes with productions that showcased sophisticated and vibrant stages, breaking the boundaries between tradition and modernity, dance and music, and presenting a new direction for the Korean dance scene. In addition, he directed La Traviata for the Korea National Opera, Moakjeongseo for the Jeonbuk Dorip Gugak Orchestra, and The Four Seasons of Sa Gun Ja, among others. With One Dance for the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre under the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, he has solidified his position as a performance director beyond the realm of fashion, where he has served as Executive Director of Samsung’s fashion division and Vice President of FILA Korea, among other positions. Jung also served as the executive director of Seoul Fashion Week and Craft Trend Fair. He’s also received awards as art director and for costume design at numerous film festivals and awards ceremonies. 

Hyejin Jeong, the artistic director of Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, is a prominent choreographer and dancer in South Korea. She has previously served as the artistic director of Seoul Performing Arts Company, the director of the Korean Dance Awards, the director of Seoul Dance Festival, and a board member of the Korean Dance Association. Currently, she is also the president of Choihyun Dance Company and the vice president of the Korean Modern Dance Association. Her versatility in seamlessly transitioning from traditional dance to modern adaptations has contributed to the public’s enjoyment of cultural arts and the advancement of the Korean dance industry. Some of her notable works include Shooting the Moon: Yoon Dong-ju, Lost Face 1895, and Deep-rooted Tree. Her representative choreography works include The Palace: Jang Nok-su-jeon, Dandelion Flower, and Muae for which she received the Grand Prize and Choreography Award at the Seoul Dance Festival.

Sung Hoon Kim was invited to the Venice Biennale in 2007 as the youngest artist to perform Position of Body and soon took off for international stages. Since entering the Korea National University of Arts with a scholarship, he has been involved in various activities both domestically and internationally, including Laboratory Dance Project (LDP), National Dance Company of Korea, and Akram Khan Company. He was supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and stayed in New York to collaborate with various artists and grow as an international choreographer after being selected as an excellent artist by the Asian Cultural Council in New York. He has actively worked in the fields of film, musicals, and plays, while also developing choreography with Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre, Daejeon Metropolitan Dance Theater, and Incheon Metropolitan City Dance Theatre.

Jae Duk Kim, a choreographer who pursues movement-centered expression deviating from a narrative structure, is currently Artistic Director of Modern Table Dance Company and a foreign residency choreographer of T.H.E Dance Company in Singapore. He composes music that matches his movement method with traditional Korean instruments and presents a synesthesia on the stage focused on the harmony of music and dance. Kim has been invited to choreograph and compose for The New Zealand Dance Company (Sigan), Balé da Cidade de São Paulo in Brazil (Nak:Ta), Balé Teatro Castro Alves in Salvador, Brazil (LUBDUB), Curitiba Municipal Ballet in Brazil (Super Natural), Companhia de Danças de Diadema in Brazil (Força Fluida), Compania Nacional de Danza Contemporanea in Argentina (Tension Espacial), D.F.W (Dancers For the World) in Basel, Switzerland (HA-KI), T.H.E Dance Company in Singapore, and Hong Kong City Contemporary Dance Company (Jangdan). 

The Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre, established in 1974, is one of the six resident companies at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. As a resident of the renowned producing theater, Sejong Center, the company has been the national flagship dance company and is committed to preserving Korean heritage through modern reinterpretations. Since 2019, when Artistic Director Hyejin Jeong took the helm, the company has been more active than ever in staging contemporary works that embody the spirit of tradition. Distinguished works after her appointment include N.O.T, Gam-Gwae, and Dongmu Dongrak – Wedding Handbook, which embrace dynamic and modern group dance.

SK Group, South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate, is a collection of global industry-leading companies driving innovations in semiconductors, sustainable energy, telecommunications and life sciences. Based in Seoul, SK invests in building sustainable businesses around the world with a shared commitment to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the use of renewable energy.

SK companies combined have more than $174 billion in global annual revenue and employ more than 120,000 people worldwide. SK companies are investing billions of dollars in expanding their U.S. presence with business operations or partnerships in hydrogen energy and fuel cells, EV battery manufacturing and technology, energy storage solutions, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and development, semiconductors, and advanced materials. For more information, visit sk.com.

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) is a cultural and civic cornerstone of New York City. The primary advocate for the entire Lincoln Center campus, our strategic priorities include fostering collaboration and deepening impact across the Lincoln Center resident organizations; championing inclusion and increasing the accessibility and reach of Lincoln Center’s work; and nurturing innovation on stage and off to help ensure the arts are at the center of civic life for all. LCPA presents hundreds of programs each year, offered primarily for free and choose-what-you-pay, including many specially designed for young audiences, families, and those with disabilities.