Seoul dance troupe's contemporary take on shamanic rituals
Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre’s new work, “Gut: Whispering Steps,” turned little-known shamanic rituals in Korea into a contemporary meditation on suffering, pain and the difficult work of saving oneself. Known as "gut," shamanic ritual was a communication tool between the living and the deceased. A shaman served as a helper in the communication. Usually, descendants sought health, luck and…
Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre's latest production, "Gut: Whispering Steps," reimagines traditional shamanic rituals from Korea as a modern exploration of human suffering and self-salvation. The ritual of gut served as a means of communication between the living and the deceased, with descendants typically seeking health, luck, and a pain-free life from their ancestors.
However, the dance troupe's artistic director Yun Hea-joung transformed the concept into a powerful meditation on the act of seeking blessings and the necessity of pursuing them through one's own body and will.
In particular, the ritual of mugamseogi, unique to Seoul and nearby regions, invited clients to dress as shamans and engage in spontaneous dance performances. Yun Hea-joung used this concept as the foundation for her dance production, which unfolds the journey of pain, memory, healing, and liberation experienced by human life. The work is comprised of five variations, each representing the five cardinal colors in Korean tradition - obangsaek.
Through this contemporary dance piece, the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre invites audiences to contemplate the complexities of human existence and the transformative power of self-reflection.
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