National Theater Traditional Dance Festival... Ten National and Public Dance Troupes from Across Korea to Participate

October 30-31 at Haeoreum Theater

The National Theater of Korea will host the "2025 Korean Traditional Dance Festival" at the Haeoreum Theater on October 30 and 31.

This festival, organized by the National Theater of Korea and the Arts Management Support Center, will feature the National Dance Company of Korea, the resident company of the National Theater, along with ten national and public dance troupes from across the country.

The traditional dance festival brings together the essence of dances that have been passed down in various regions, offering a new spotlight on these traditions. The National Dance Company of Korea, Incheon Metropolitan Dance Company, Gyeonggi Provincial Dance Company, Cheonan City Dance Company, Cheongju City Dance Company, Daejeon City Dance Company, Iksan City Dance Company, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Provincial Institute of Korean Traditional Music Dance Company, National Namsadang National Gugak Center Ensemble, and Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Dance Company will each present their representative works.

The theme of this year’s traditional dance festival is "The Archetype and Expansion of Traditional Dance." Unlike previous traditional dance festivals, which mainly consisted of small-scale stages centered around master artists, this event will feature a large-scale stage with more than 320 dancers from all over the country, offering a distinctly different experience.

On October 30, the stage will focus on presenting the archetype of traditional dance. The National Dance Company of Korea will open the festival with "Sin Taepyeongmu," a piece from "Hyangyeon," which has become a box office hit in the Korean dance scene, expressing the wish for an era of peace and prosperity. The Gyeonggi Provincial Dance Company will convey the aesthetics of abundance and solidarity with "Jinswaechum·Ganggangsullae" from "Gyeonggi Hoeyeon." The Daejeon City Dance Company will showcase the quintessence of excitement with "Hyang-Namdo Sogo Dance," which encapsulates the energy of the sogo dance. The Cheonan City Dance Company will present "Park Jongpil Style Deotbaegi Dance," which depicts the sentiment of humble life, while the National Namsadang National Gugak Center Ensemble will reinterpret the Jindo Ssitgimgut ritual in a modern way with "Bokgae Dance," exploring themes of life, death, and community reconciliation. The Incheon Metropolitan Dance Company will perform "Sadarani," based on Buddhist ritual dance, and "Pungnyuga-in," which captures the spirit of women.

On October 31, under the theme of "Expansion of Traditional Dance," the festival will introduce Korean dances reinterpreted in the language of today. The Incheon Metropolitan Dance Company will demonstrate the harmony of tradition and modernity with the court dance "Taepyeongseongdae" and the male Abakmu "Gyeol." The Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Provincial Institute of Korean Traditional Music Dance Company will perform "Tteolbolbi+Pungjang" from "Jingyeong," a reinterpretation of farmers' music, expressing the power of traditional dance through the rhythm and roots of community. The Iksan City Dance Company will present "Taepyeongcheonmu," a modern reinterpretation of the dignity of court dance, while the Cheongju City Dance Company will energize the stage with the dynamic and humorous "Park Byeongcheon Style Jindo Bukchum." The Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Dance Company will stage "Je-Narye," which embodies Jeju's shamanistic imagination. This piece communicates the unique energy of Jeju-shaped by wind, sea, and myth-through the movements of the dancers. The festival will conclude with the National Dance Company of Korea’s signature repertoire "Mugo," which delivers the grand resonance of drums.

Kim Jongdeok, Artistic Director and Head of the National Dance Company of Korea, stated, "Tradition does not remain in the past; it is reborn in this very moment," adding, "You will be able to witness that power at this festival."

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