Two dancers collide in dance about 'uri' -- us and cages that confine

When dancer-choreographers Haeni and Kristian Mensa, who goes by the stage name Mr. Kriss, walked into the rehearsal studio for their interview, it was hard not to notice that both were dressed in earth-toned brown tops and baggy pants.

Asked if they had coordinated for the shoot, they laughed. It was pure coincidence — and not for the first time.

“Yeah, everything. We don’t need to speak, but we are connected,” the two said in near unison.

The two artists first met in Seoul in early 2024, introduced through a mutual friend. Despite coming from different backgrounds, Haeni from Seoul’s hip-hop and commercial dance scene, and Mr. Kriss from Prague’s breaking and visual arts world, they found immediate creative synergy.

“We have similar ideas, but our ways of moving are really different. When we brought them together, we knew it would create something special,” said Mr. Kriss to a group of reporters last week. “When we were throwing out ideas, we got excited because each time, it was something the other person also wanted to do.”

Soon after, an unexpected alignment of events brought them back together. In the same week that Haeni was invited to create a piece for the Sejong Center’s summer festival for contemporary performing arts, “Sync Next,” a Czech music festival reached out to Mr. Kriss asking if he could propose a show. They immediately thought of each other.

Now, after their first performance together in the Czech Republic this June, they reunite for their Korean stage premiere at the Sejong Center from Aug. 14 to 16 with a new contemporary work, “OO-LI.” The piece explores themes of identity, constraint and coexistence. The title is as layered in meaning as the work itself: pronounced "uri" in Korean, it is a homonym that plays on multiple meanings — most notably “we/us” and “cage.”

“We were playing with words that have multiple meanings,” said Haeni. “When I said ‘uri,’ Kriss immediately loved it. It’s about togetherness, but also about being confined and that felt instinctively powerful.”

“And how it’s written is really visual, with circles and lines. We wanted something universal, a little mysterious, something that makes people ask: ‘What does it mean?’” added Mr. Kriss.

The pair held an open audition, selecting 28 dancers from diverse backgrounds and genres. Each dancer embodies a fragment of the choreographers’ inner worlds. Alongside Haeni and Mr. Kriss, the performers will share the stage, colliding, converging and coexisting through movement.

Their choreographic styles, while quite the opposite, complement each other. “We joke that we’re yin and yang,” said Haeni, whose movement style leans sculptural and introspective. Mr. Kriss, rooted in breaking, brings an explosive, physical edge.

“OO-LI” marks a first for both dancers in different ways.

For Haeni, it is her longest choreographic work and her debut piece for the stage. The 31-year-old has collaborated with global artists and brands, from choreographing American singer Usher’s “You Make Me Wanna” and co-choreographing “Margiela” to serving as movement director for K-pop group aespa’s recent music video “Dirty Work.” Her credits include industry giants such as The Black Label, Cube Entertainment, Samsung and Nike.

Mr. Kriss, who has performed with artists such as Kylie Minogue and Hania Rani, and collaborated with Greenpeace, Adidas Originals and Louis Vuitton, is also making his Korean stage debut. The connection is personal.

“(In my childhood,) Korean breaking dance crews were my biggest inspiration,” he said. “I watched every clip I could find. I even learned Korean city names from breakdance videos — which crew came from where. So it was amazing to meet some of these dancers when I came to Korea.”

Both choreographers hope their audience finds the same emotional truth they did.

“For me, this piece is about acceptance — accepting myself,” said Haeni. “I hope the audience feels that for themselves, too.”

Mr. Kriss agreed. “We want people to be less in their heads. Not to think about the story, but feel it here in their hearts.”