Jeongdong Theater Troupe's First Regular Performance 'Sinawi 夢'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The Jeongdong Theater Arts Troupe will hold its first regular performance of 2020, "Sinawi, 夢 (Mong)," from May 7 to 10.

At the Jeongdong Theater's 25th anniversary press conference on January 16, 2020, the operation of the Jeongdong Theater Arts Troupe, centered on artists who have performed in traditional regular performances, was officially announced. "Sinawi, 夢" is the first stage presented by the Jeongdong Theater Arts Troupe as an affiliated arts group of Jeongdong Theater.

"Sinawi, 夢" is a work themed around a ritual for the living to live a life without regrets. Although traditional gut rituals are originally intended to honor the souls of the deceased, "Sinawi, 夢" reinterprets the concept of gut as a consolation for the living, emphasizing traditional gut in this new light.

"Sinawi" is an improvisational style of Korean traditional music (gugak). It is music used by shamans during gut rituals, characterized by a basic framework but no fixed melody, allowing fluid and spontaneous interplay of instruments in a heterophonic ensemble. The charm of "Sinawi" lies in the process of finding harmony within discord.

The work "Sinawi, 夢" expresses the very concept of sinawi through the dancers' bodies. In other words, "Sinawi, 夢" conveys a message about the beauty of the process of creating harmony within discord through the movements of the dancers.

Although the Jeongdong Theater Arts Troupe's regular performance "Sinawi, 夢" deals with conceptual content, it attempts a radical formal style. First, it presents bold stage direction that maximizes visual beauty. Using five beam projectors, images are projected onto three sides of the stage to create a new spatial experience. The structural and dreamlike video design, inspired by a snail motif, will enhance the dancers' movements and add spatial aesthetics. By combining various video techniques such as perspective and optical illusions with the dancers' bodily expressions, the video is produced not as a simple background but as a space for the dancers and the dance, aiming to create a sophisticated performance aesthetic.

Kim Hee-chul, CEO of Jeongdong Theater, stated, "'Sinawi, 夢' will be the first regular performance of the Jeongdong Theater Arts Troupe and will mark a meaningful departure for them. Going forward, the troupe will present regular performances in various styles, and in the second half of the year, they are preparing a dance drama with a story, continuing the tradition of Jeongdong Theater. Since our troupe is composed of young artists, they will view tradition from a contemporary perspective and will not miss new attempts and artistic experiments."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.