The 28th Seoul International Dance Festival (SIDance) will take place from Sept. 10 to 28 across major venues in the city, including Namsan Gugakdang, Eunpyeong Culture & Arts Center and Daehakro Arts Theater.
Founded in 1996 and organized by the Seoul section of the International Dance Council CID-UNESCO, SIDance has grown into one of Korea’s leading privately organized dance festivals, alongside the Changmu International Performing Arts Festival.
This year’s edition will feature 38 works from 13 countries.
One of the festival’s centerpieces is a five-work series grouped under the theme “Into the Raging Vortex,” which addresses urgent social issues.
“Korean dance tends to be less engaged with social questions than other art forms or compared with dance scenes abroad,” said SIDance artistic director Lee Jong-ho.
“We feel our society is regressing into a fearful and dreadful past amid growing polarization and division. While we cannot claim to offer answers, we want to let artists’ bodies and senses speak against destruction and fragmentation,” he added.
The program includes a range of invited international and Korean performances, co-productions and specially commissioned works.
hwangdh@heraldcorp.com
