chrysalis: Korea
The location, Seoullo, Yoonsle, was originally a depot for street-cleaning equipment and was rebuilt in 2017 with the new name Yoonsle as part of a Seoul Urban Art Project “Seoul is Museum” which aims to “renovate the entire city of Seoul into an art museum.” Yoonsle is a Korean word meaning “ripples that shine in sunlight or moonlight.”
The dancers are like ripples who shine on a dark stage illuminating by points of light. Like the movement of the gentle waves of water, their bodies are in constant motion. We sometimes say that in this pandemic era, “Time has stopped.” However, we are always moving or flowing somewhere. Our breath, which never stops, rides on the light slowly, but spreads further. Like the providence of nature, which eventually returns to its original place as it flows constantly, maybe we are recovering and returning to what we have forgotten and what we have lost due to this period.
What we mean by “returning” is not returning to the past or staying in that same place. It means reaching another beginning by going through a process of cycles, eventually returning to one’s true self and original state.
We should recall that every being coexists with and is connected to all existing things.
Jinyeob Cha is a contemporary dancer and choreographer who received the presidential prize for achievement after choreographing the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games. She founded a creative art group called 'collective A' in 2012 in Seoul which focuses on going beyond existing performance forms, breaking barriers of limited space, genre and format by expanding its exploration of various artistic disciplines.
After completing her PG diploma and MA at London Contemporary Dance School, she has worked with numerous companies and choreographers internationally, including LDP Company of Korea, Hofesh Shechter Dance Company (UK), Galili Dance Company (Netherlands), and the English National Opera.
She has received "Today’s Young Artist Award" from the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, as well as an award for "Best Choreography" at the Korea Musical Awards, "Best Performance Award" at the 2012 Korean Association of Dance Critics Awards, and the highest award of the year, the "Best Performance Award" at the Korean Dance Critics Awards, 2017.
Kristina Arakelyan is an award-winning composer and pianist who is currently pursuing her doctorate at King’s College London, having studied at the Royal Academy of Music and the University of Oxford. She won first prize in the BBC Proms Inspire Young Composers’ Competition and the Overall Cup in the EPTA Composition Competition in 2010, the first prize in the NCEM composers’ competition in 2016, and the Royal Northern Sinfonia’s composers’ competition in 2019. Her work has been played on BBC Radio 3, and in prestigious locations such as London’s Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall, Cambridge’s Caius College, and concert halls in Mexico, Spain, Belgium, Croatia, and Armenia.
Credits
Korea Unit
Choreography
Composition
Filming and Editing
Cinematographer
Assistant Editor
Production
Jin Yeob Cha
Kristina Arakelyan
Hyukjin Jeon (GRZE)
Jaeheon Kwon
Han Jong
Universal Ballet
Oxford Unit
Calum Bradshaw
Oxford Alternative Orchestra
Hannah Schneider
Isabella Thorneycroft
Ewan Millar
Ralph Lane
Sasha Rasmussen
William Kidner
Benji Hartnell-Booth
Kristina Arakelyan
With thanks also to Sam Mitchell
Jonathan Danciger
Camera Operator
Music
Music Director
Flute
Oboe
Clarinet
Bassoon
Horn
Piano
Music Recording and Mixing