Performers and creative team
On stage
Performer Eun-Me Ahn
Performer Hyekyoung Kim
Performer Jeeyeun Kim
Performer Haejin Yun
Performer Gaon Han
Performer Sunjae Jo
Performer Uiyoung Jung
Performer Deokyeong Kim
Performer Yongsik Moon
On screen
Performer Nur Syahidah Binti Hazmi (Malaysia)
Performer Akari Takahashi (Japan)
Performer Jinwon Jung (South Korea)
Performer Siko Setyanto (Indonesia)
Performer Dwi Nusa Aji Winarno (Indonesia)
Performer Guan Ting Zhou (Taiwan)
Creative team
Choreographer and Artistic Director Eun-Me Ahn
Music Young-Gyu Jang
Costume and Set Designer Eun-Me Ahn
Lighting Designer Jinyoung Jang
Video Designer Taeseok Lee
Motion Designers Taeseok Lee and Minjeong Lee (Addnine)
Creation Technical Director Jimyung Kim
Technical Crew Thomas Boudic, Yann Champelovier, Haesung Lee, Marc Perez, Alexandre Pluchino
Running time: 75 minutes. There is no interval
Age guidance: 8+ (contains strobe lighting and sudden light changes)
Performed in Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Malaysian and Indonesian with English surtitles
Presented by the Barbican
In association with the Lowry
An Eun-Me Ahn Company and Gadja Productions’ production
Co-produced by Yeongdeungpo Cultural Foundation, Busan Cultural Center, Théâtre de la Ville – Paris, Biennale de la Danse de Lyon, Festspielhaus St. Pölten, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Les Halles de Schaerbeek, National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts – Weiwuying.
With the kind support of: Arts Council Korea, Indonesian Dance Festival, ASWARA – Akademi Seni Budaya Dan Warisan Kebangsaan, Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse N°1
On tour with the support of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, Korean Cultural Centre UK and KAMS – Center Stage Korea
Images by Sukmu Yun
New ways of dancing — an interview with Eun-Me Ahn
Before 2000, when the West seemed to recognise the economic powers of Asia – including South Korea – ‘tiger states’ or ‘dragon states’ (economies) were regarded with a mix of admiration and fear. Western legends give us a negative perception of the dragon, but in Asia this is quite different, isn’t it?
Indeed, for us the dragon embodies a sacred and spiritual energy. They are composite animals, created by a higher will, and therefore almost multicultural creatures. Dragons embody power, longevity and protection. Previously, their symbolic power was reserved for kings but today we are free to imagine them however we want. The title of our production wants to explain that we have the power to decide for ourselves our lives and our futures.
The idea that we can control our destiny embodies perfectly the spirit of this work. Dragons was born in the midst of Covid-19 and, due to the pandemic, the young dancers you selected from five different Asian countries were unable to join you in Seoul for the performance. They are instead present in the form of holographic projections, while the permanent dancers of your company dance live.
To choose these young people, all born in 2000, me and the dancers in my company went to Indonesia, Thailand and Japan. We wanted to understand how they live and see the world: how are their studies going; how do they watch a show? Then the pandemic happened. We had to cancel our trips to Vietnam and Taiwan and continued working with video for the auditions as well as for the creation.
These performers are of Generation Z for whom the internet and the smartphone are very normal. Yet creating choreography is an old concept which relies on presence. Suddenly you had to rely on the small screen. Dragons is deeply influenced by the pandemic.
This generation was suddenly confined by lockdown just as they became adults.
They live in great instability but are open to a lot of things. Dragons opened me up to other ways of thinking about stage presence, whereas before I was not interested in technology. We have learned and invented a lot. For example, it is not easy to create a dance in front of a webcam when right and left are reversed so, to make things more intuitive, we all danced with a glove on our right hand!
Did you consider after the pandemic having the young dancers join you live and on stage?
I think we’ll do a new piece with them instead. When they have finished their university studies and are fully free and older, we want to find them and maybe work on the possibility of overcoming the memories of the pandemic, which is quite dark for them. It will be interesting to keep Dragons in the repertoire as it is, as a testimony to the particular conditions of its creation.
With its inherent vitality and optimism, Dragons is exactly what audiences need to see right now!
This is exactly what we told each other when we had finished the work. These young dancers come from very different religions, political situations and economic conditions, but all of them have traditional dance practice. Each created a gesture and transmitted it to the others, which formed a universal language nourished by their respective cultures. Because only together can we overcome the current challenges!
Interview by Thomas Hahn for the Théâtre de la Ville – Paris programme, used by kind permission
Biographies
Eun-Me Ahn
Performer
A leading artist in the Korean performing arts scene, Eun-Me Ahn was born in 1963. Interested in traditional dance and shamanistic practices, she studied contemporary dance at Ehwa Womans University in Seoul. She founded Eun-Me Ahn Company in 1988 before moving to New York in 1991 to study at the Tisch School of the Arts. In 2001 she returned to Korea as director of Daegu City Dance Company, with 45 dancers, where she created some major works such as The Little Match Girl and Skypepper. She continued her choreographic and performance practice revisiting classics from her country (Princess Bari, Chunyang) or investigating social issues, working with non-professional older people (Dancing Grandmothers, Dancing Teenteen, Dancing Middle-Aged Men) and people with disabilities (with Ahnsim Dance and Daeshim Dance). With over 150 pieces in her repertoire, Eun-Me Ahn has been developing a unique language, with positive energy and colours as her trademark. She has achieved international recognition with emblematic productions such as Symphoca Princess Bari, Let Me Change Your Name, Dancing Grandmothers or North Korea Dance that have been presented on the most prestigious stages around the world .
Hyekyoung Kim
Performer
Hyekyoung Kim started dancing in her high school dance club and fell in love with movement. She studied modern dance and Korean traditional dance. After graduating in modern dance at Sungkyunkwan University in 2008, she joined Eun-Me Ahn Company. She participated in a workshop with Gilles Jobin (2008), a choreographer based in Switzerland, which led to an interest in other international experiences. She worked with the Royal Opera House’s ROH2 in 2011 and Cie Linga Company in Switzerland from 2009 to 2018, and was invited to the audition and research programs with Belgium’s Ultima Vez in 2011 as well as further work with Gilles Jobin. She has continued to work with the Eun-Me Ahn Company for the past 15 years, participating in group projects or workshops and moving between Korea and Switzerland. She has been choreographing and directing her own projects since 2012.
Jeeyeun Kim
Performer
Jeeyeun Kim started to learn ballet when she was six years old. She majored in Korean traditional dance after seeing it performed. Following graduation from Gugak National High School in 2005, she went on to achieve a bachelor’s degree in 2009 and a master’s degree in 2019 from the Department of Korean Traditional Arts at the Korea National University of Arts. From 2009 to 2012, she was a dancer with Gyeonggi Provincial Dance Company. She has worked as a dancer at Eun-Me Ahn Company since 2018.
Haejin Yun
Performer
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Haejin Yun was trained in Korean traditional dance as well as modern and contemporary dance. She graduated from Korea National University of Arts in 2020. She is a performer, teacher and choreographer, and for many years she has worked as a freelance dancer gaining significant performing experience by collaborating with various contemporary choreographers. In 2023, Eun-Me Ahn created a piece for the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company where Haejin Yun was dancing and invited her to join the company.
Gaon Han
Performer
Born in South Korea, Gaon Han began his dance education in contemporary dance at the Peniel Arts High School in 2014. He later graduated from Sejong University, one of the prestigious arts universities located in Seoul. Working initially with Tatmaroo Dance Company, he has been pursuing his dance career by working with various choreographers. He has been a member of Eun-Me Ahn Company since 2023.
Sunjae Jo
Performer
Sunjae Jo was born in South Korea and started dancing in 2011, beginning with street dance before learning modern dance at Gyewon Arts High School, from which he graduated in 2017. Following this, he joined the dance department of Sungkyunkwan University and trained in modern and contemporary dance, working with a number of choreographers. After graduating in 2021, he met Eun-Me Ahn as a dancer and is still working with the company.
Uiyoung Jung
Performer
Born in South Korea, Uiyoung Jung began b-boying when he was 15. He continued his career by participating in numerous events and competitions. From the age of 19 he became interested in modern dance. In 2021, at the age of 29, he met Eun-Me Ahn and has since toured with the company numerous times and is living the dream.
Deokyeong Kim
Performer
Born in Korea, Deokyeong Kim learned contemporary dance at Peniel High School of Arts in 2013. He graduated from Kyung Hee University in Seoul with a major in contemporary dance. Since then, he has worked in a freelance capacity in Seoul, appearing in various performances. He has worked with Eun-Me Ahn Company since 2022.
Yongsik Moon
Performer
Born in South Korea, Yongsik Moon began his dance education in contemporary dance at the Peniel Arts High School in 2009. He later graduated from Chung-Ang University, one of Seoul’s prestigious arts universities. He has lived in Seoul for 11 years and worked as a freelancer, participating in various contemporary dance performances, musicals and operas as both a dancer and ensemble member, accumulating experience both in these roles and as an instructor. He has been a member of the Eun-Me Ahn Company since 2022. In addition to his performing career, he also lectured at an arts high school for three years.
Read: an interview with Eun-Me Ahn
In this interview for The Guardian, choreographer Eun-Me Ahn discusses shaking off traditional norms and how shaving her head helped her find her own energy.
For the Barbican
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