We are all destined to die someday. We often contemplate death and what might come after -- where we would go and how those left behind will carry on.
“Beyond Diverse Dimensions," a participatory performance that kicked off Saturday at the LG Arts Center in Seoul, explores the unknowns of death and mourning.
The show that bills itself as an "immersive sci-fi, fantasy, humanism, comedy, technical, sung-through, (perhaps) blockbuster musical" starts from the lobby.
Four crew members call out the names of the audience one by one and divide them into four groups. When your name is called, you respond with “Cha-cha.”
Should you need something to loosen up or give you a boost of confidence, ushers at the lobby are ready to offer either a makgeolli cocktail or candy, just to give you some extra “love and courage” as you deposit your belongings and coat.
Then, the audience is invited to a "rift" -- someplace between the world of the living and the world of the dead -- as mourners at the most extraordinary funeral set somewhere beyond all dimensions.
Four souls have already been summoned into the rift. They are confused and don’t remember who they are. With the help of the dancing and singing of the audience under the guidance of "crows," the lost souls begin to remember their names and flashes of their lives.
The four souls are Seong-seok, a 121-year-old gay man who persevered with a resolution to fight hate; So-ri, an actor who struggled with hate comments; Na-ra, a nonbinary person who lived happily with two moms but died alone when a spaceship headed for Mars crashed; and Ga-da, a young refugee whose boat sank.
Upon regaining their memories, they fall into despair as they realize their last memory in the afterlife is an unwanted funeral. So the crows try to hold a joint funeral, taking into consideration the tastes of each soul.
It is a festive and unusual funeral. As time passes, even those initially hesitant begin to follow the dance movements and join in the chanting. It helps, perhaps, that the venue is dimly lit so the audience cannot really see each other.
While those who wished to dance and sing were welcomed to do so, participation was not required. With no designated seats, the audience sat, stood or moved around as they liked.
It was definitely as described, an "immersive sci-fi, fantasy, humanism, comedy, technical, sung-through, (perhaps) blockbuster musical." The 80 members of the audience complete the show.
A dance tutorial is available on the YouTube channel for Elephants Laugh, the artist collective that created the performance.
The start of the show began with some young children crying, apparently scared of the crows’ costumes and the dark settings; the performance is open to elementary school students and older. But after calming down, they danced passionately.
Some in the audience shed tears during the funeral. There were scenes that evoked a lot of thought and emotion and summoned a lump in the throat. When the show was over, some sobbed in the lobby while family and friends comforted them. And all those tears were understandable.
“Beyond Diverse Dimensions” runs through April 23.
