Autumn is a season where the word "New" fits well. The color of leaves change as if trees were changing clothes and the wind gently blows to wipe away the lumped dirt from summer. During this season, it seems appropriate to fall in love with various innovative and radical plays, dances, and music from all over the world. If you are interested, The 5th Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF) is around the corner. Innovative works of art are waiting to bring excitement and refreshing "ups" to your lives.
Innovation refers to the notion of being "contemporary" or different from the arts in the previous era. "The festival aims to bring a new norm to performing arts, show unlimited ways of dealing with oppression and resistance through art themes, and bring us a step further in the performing arts culture," says Kim Kwang-lim, the Artistic Director of SPAF. Kim described the various programs being presented throughout the festival, as definitely "innovative." For example, "Back to the Present" is innovative in that audiences are actually there to participate by singing and dancing. As a combination of both music and play, German artists share strong beats with the audiences under the theme of living one's present to the fullest. When the audiences participate, it is most probable that they forget about their worries in the past, and also in the future. The present is what matters; to put oneself into the rhythm is what's most important. "Back to the Present" is to be performed from Oct. 7 to 9 in the Main Hall of the KCAF Arts Theater.
If you do not enjoy participatory performances, there is another innovative performance waiting for you: the Korean version of "Romeo and Juliet." As one of William Shakespeare's early works, the original is the well-known tragedy of passionate young love. Taking this, Director Oh Tae-suk has re-interpreted the work to better suit the Korean temperament by adding unique language and body movements. "Romeo and Juliet" is to be performed on Oct. 9 to 10 in the Open Stage Haneul of the National Theater of Korea.
Jeon Young-ji, who is part of the PR and Marketing Team of SPAF, also recommends the "Festival Plus." "Various programs allow audiences to meet artists from different cultures after the second performance of their work. By doing so, audiences will have better understanding of the background of the innovative arts performed," says Jeon.
The 22 performances from 11 different countries (Germany, Russia, Belgium, Brazil, Spain, Iran, Japan, France, Canada, Tunisia, Australia, and Korea.) are to be presented until Oct. 16.