Celebrating the 60thAnniversaryof Diplomatic Relations between Korea and Sweden Choreography Exchange Project: Korea National Contemporary Dance Company x Skånes Dansteater Sweden

Skånes Dansteater Sweden – Communicating with the Audience through the Social Function of Dance In celebration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Sweden in 2019, the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company and the Skånes Dansteater present a choreography exchange project with its premiere performance in Seoul in 2018. Skånes Dansteater is a dance company and dance production theater based in Malmö, Sweden. The company’s experimental and innovative ideas, coupled with the talents of its international choreographers and dancers have been broadening the artistic and social function of dance to a new horizon. For this exchange project the two companies, the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company and the Skånes Dansteater, will each select a choreographer to serve as a visiting choreographer who will create a new performance for the other company. The new works will be performed in both countries and then continue on to tour performances in other locations. The Theatrical and Cinematic Choreography of Fernando Melo, Choreographer and Dance Film Director The first work of the choreographic exchange will be created by choreographer Fernando Melo, selected by the Skånes Dansteater to create a new production at the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company which will premiere in Seoul in June. Melo is renowned for his theatrical and cinematic choreography that interprets every element of the production – music, costume, lighting and beyond – from diverse perspectives. He has also been widely recognized for his unique and talented work in many countries outside of Sweden, including Mexico, France, Germany and the United States. Melo is also an acclaimed dance film director and has received the “Audience Award” at the San Francisco Dance Film Festival in 2010. Melo constantly seeks new inspiration for his choreography by applying different elements discovered in the collaboration process to the work itself. His current project in collaboration with the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company, The Longest Distance between Two Points, promises to be an exciting and unique performance, featuring six of the company’s dancers. In addition to Fernando Melo’s new work, three pieces choreographed by the Skånes Dansteater will be presented in the June performance. Dare to Wreck explores the duality of human relationships in a performance featuring a cast of dancers that includes dancers with disabilities. Half Half will highlight the values of “togetherness,” while Skånes Dansteater’s most recent work, The Entertainers, will also be performed for the Korean audience. Together, this group of works will allow the audience to experience the cozy and uplifting spirit of the Northern European “Hygge” lifestyle through the medium of dance.