Read about us on the BAM Blog

Our Project Coordinator flew to Idaho last week to help make our US residency trailer and wrote all about her visit for BAM.  Give it a read here!

A Master Class, 7000 Miles Apart

DanceMotion USA got to help BAM Education test out its new equipment in our first ever distance learning event.

The event brought together middle-and-high school students from the Korean Traditional Music and Dance Institute (KTMDI) in New York City and middle-and-high school students of renowned Korean dance master Yi-Jo Lim in Seoul, Korea.

First the students from KTMDI performed drum dances for Master Lim and the Korean audience.
They may be young, but these Brooklyn dancers amazed the audience and received praise from Lim in Korea.

JindoBukchum, Jindo Drum Dance, KTMDI in Brooklyn

Janggochum, Janggo Solo Dance

Then, the KTMDI students sat down to watch as Master Lim and his students performed at Seoul Institute for the Arts  for the group in Brooklyn.

Watching HanRyangMu, the Noblemen's Dance


Not only did the class offer the Korean-American students at KTMDI a unique opportunity to learn from one of the most important figures in Korean dance, it also gave New York-based dancer (and KTMDI President) Yoon Sook Park the chance to reconnect with her teacher, Master Lim. 

Master Teacher Lim, Yi-Jo (in orange) teaches on screen

KTMDI students learn footwork up close...

...and put it together with arm movements. 



The evening concluded with the two groups posing for final portraits together, 7000 miles apart.

Watch the video of our distance learning event here.

You can also catch our next distance learning event live this Friday, when our performances at BAM are streamed to Seoul and Idaho, and all three audiences can ask questions at our post-show discussion.  

The Boise Grand Finale

It's SHOW TIME.

This past Saturday, An Lee, Taehee and So Jin performed with Trey McIntyre Project in TMP's annual fall show at the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts in Boise, Idaho, where they premiered Trey's new piece The Unkindness of Ravens together. This new work was inspired by both Trey's travel in Korea with DanceMotion USA this past spring, and his collaboration with Korea National Contemporary Dance Company members at home in Idaho. 

All photos courtesy TMP's Facebook Page:

People head to their seats

Dancers greet fans and sign posters after the matinee

Chanel of Trey McIntyre Project signs posters for her "biggest-smallest" fans 

Now, on to New York!  Trey McIntyre Project and KNCDC will perform The Unkindness of Ravens, along with pieces from each individual company, at BAM this week in Brooklyn.

 

Thank you to everyone in Boise - from the TMP staff to the Mayor's office to the friendly neighbors in the greater Idaho community - the success of this residency was a real testament to your kindness.
We here at DanceMotion USA couldn't thank you enough.  See you in Brooklyn - or maybe, Korea?



Mayor of Boise Declares Official KNCDC Day

On Tuesday, Boise's Mayor David Bieter invited the KNCDC dancers, accompanied by TMP, to attend a special ceremony with the Boise City Council.  In a gesture of great generosity and honor, the Mayor declared October 30, 2012 official Korea National Dance Company Day in Boise.  Thank you, Idaho, for being such incredible hosts!

And some photos:

So Jin, An Lee, and Taehee
(c Shana Parker)

The whole group  (c TMP Blog)

KNCDC's So Jin thanks the City Council
and Ben Chon translates (c TMP Blog)

              TMP's John Michael with Mayor Bieter  
(c TMP Blog)

Presenting the proclamation
(c TMP Blog)

Korean Dinner in Boise

Ben Chon, our Korean translator out in Boise, hosted an amazing traditional Korean meal at his home the other night.  It was the dancers' first chance to really relax and hang out together.

 

 

And check out what happened at the end of the night:

 

Thank you Ben for such kindness and thank you TMP for the photos!

So Jin, Taehee, and An Lee in Boise

After an incredible airport welcome, the three KNCDC dancers are hard at work with TMP in Boise, rehearsing their new piece, The Unkindness of Ravens.

 

All photos from the Trey McIntyre Project Blog, where TMP is posting updates about the residency regularly.

Welcome KNCDC Dancers!

 

In one of the best airport welcomes we've ever seen, the entire Trey McIntyre Project company and staff, along with Boise residents, greeted An Lee, So Jin, and Taehee of KNCDC in the arrivals hall at Boise Airport on Sunday with some spectacular Korean moves.

 

 



 

Welcome to the USA, friends! 

Welcoming Korean Friends to our Inaugural US Residency

On Sunday, DanceMotion USA(sm) is proud to kick off our first dance exchange here on American soil.  We are thrilled to welcome our friends from Korea National Contemporary Dance Company to the USA for what promises to be an incredible collaboration between Korean and American dancers.

This spring, Trey McIntyre Project of Boise, Idaho toured with DanceMotion USA(sm)  to China, Vietnam, Korea, and the Philippines.  In Seoul, they met "KNCDC," with whom Trey felt a strong connection.

“…When I watched them in rehearsal, I could tell they had a real generosity of spirit and a way of being present and in the moment that is very similar to the way TMP works.”

On October 19th, three principal dancers from KNCDC will step off the plane in Boise, Idaho - where Trey McIntyre Project is based - to rehearse for three weeks with TMP on a new collaborative piece called "The Unkindness of Ravens," which they will perform both in Boise and at BAM as part of its renowned Next Wave Festival. 

Meet the Collaborating KNCDC Dancers



 

c Korea National Contemporary Dance Company

An Lee Chang holds a gold medal from the 2010 Korea International Concours and was awarded first place in the 2010 Seoul International Dance Concours.  She says about dance, "To me, dancing is a time which offers special moments where I can become another person."  And on performing in the Next Wave Festival with Trey McIntyre Project?  "The excitement and curiosity about starting something new, this piece with many other people, fills me with anticipation."

c Korea National Contemporary Dance Company
 

So Jin Lee is trained in ballet, contemporary, and traditional dance.  She has worked with Sungkyunkwan University, the Berlin DOCK11-Studio, collaborated with Danny Tan in Singapore, and with Dance Theatre ON for four years.  Now, as a dancer with KNCDC since 2010, she says, "I have come to understand the responsibility and attitude of mind that one must possess as a serious dancer.  I have always questioned the pull of internal movement in dance rather than its external appearance, and want to dance freely while simply breathing."  On performing at Next Wave?  "I know just how famous a place BAM is - just being able to perform there will be an extreme honor for me.  Over and out!"

 

c Korea National Contemporary Dance

Kim Taehee joined KNCDC immediately after her graduation from the Sunkyunkwan University of Art in 2010.  She says of KNCDC, "The level of ability of the individual is very important but I have learned that there is no energy that tugs on the heartstrings like that of the energy produced through the togetherness of the dancers helping each other."  She says that the idea of performing at the Next Wave Festival "seems like a dream - I'm slightly nervous but very much looking forward to the honor."



Trey works with An Lee, So Jin and Taehee in Seoul this August (c US Embassy Seoul)

After three weeks of rehearsals in Boise, Taehee, An Lee, and So Jin will join eleven of their KNCDC colleagues in Brooklyn along with Trey McIntyre Project for a weekend of collaborative performances with both companies at BAM. 

Stay tuned on Sunday for updates on their arrival!  Each dancer will be posting photos, videos, and thoughts for the duration of their time here in the United States. 

Follow us here on the blog, on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and on Instagram (dancemotionusa) to catch all of their adventures!

 

Introducing the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company

We are very excited to announce that Seoul-based Korea National Contemporary Dance Company will be performing in BAM's Next Wave Festival with Trey McIntyre Project.  TMP traveled to Korea this spring as part of their Asian tour with DanceMotion USA, and requested to collaborate further with dancers from this company.

Three dancers from KNDCDC will join TMP in their home state, Idaho, to collaborate on a new work. Then, additional KNCDC members will come to New York for joint performances featuring the new collaboration and work by each of the two companies here at BAM in November.

Meet the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company
Established in August 2010, the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company is the country’s first national ensemble dedicated to contemporary dance. Artistic Director Sung-yop Hong has identified several goals for the company: to encourage creative work by Korean choreographers; to popularize contemporary dance by creating access for regional and local communities; and to contribute to the global contemporary dance scene through international collaboration and partnership.

Joining Trey McIntyre Project
This week, Dance Magazine wrote on their blog, "So what makes McIntyre's work American? Just the music? The can-do confidence? The sense of daring? The mix of ballet and quasi-party dance? The willingness to break with the past? Whatever it is, he’s turned the American city of Boise, Idaho, into a dance-loving city."  

This spring, TMP toured as part of DanceMotion USA to China, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Korea - where they met KNCDC.  During their tour, Trey McIntyre and his dancers not only presented their uniquely American style, but also embraced and studied Korean traditions:

Now, they will further Korean-American dance exchange on their home soil. 

We can't wait to see what these two companies devise together.  Don't miss it!

© Lois Greenfield 2011

• See the show at BAM

• Photos of Trey's trip to Seoul last week on our Facebook page
• More KNCDC videos

Reflections on Seoul, Korea

From Artistic Director Trey McIntyre:

Spending the entire week in Seoul, Korea was a wonderful way to wrap up our tour of Asia.

The embassy there did a great job of making sure our week was filled with meaningful exchange: We were able to see lots of local dancers and shared the stage in an informal performance with local contemporary dancers, followed by a dinner that turned into an all-out dance party.

Master classes with Sejong University, Sun Hwa Arts High School, and the dancers in the Dong-A International Dance Competition also punctuated the week. We had dance workshops with the homeless, intellectually disabled children, and a hip-hop program for young people who had been victims of school violence.

The week ended with our final performance of the tour at the Goyang Aram Nuri Opera House followed by a wonderful post-performance reception with Sung Kim, the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea.

Learning Traditional Korean Drum Dance in Seoul

Exploring Asian traditional dances brought to mind the idea of Americans one day having dances the young and elderly know and learn, dances that bring us together through our shared history, dances passed down from our ancestors.

Dancers we met in the Philippines, Vietnam, China and Korea took such pride in their country’s traditional dances—many young dancers go to university to study and earn degrees in traditional dance. TMP felt so lucky to experience some of these dances.

 Annali, Brett and Chanel learned a traditional Korean drum dance.

The Incredible Culture of Seoul, Korea

Spending the whole week is Seoul, Korea allowed us to really immerse ourselves in Korean culture.
The U.S. Embassy in Seoul scheduled us for a jam-packed week of events so that we could experience nearly everything that Korean culture has to offer. With only one show at the end of the week, the rest of the week was dedicated to master classes and community engagements...

We took a workshop with intellectually disabled teens.

Jeongbal Middle School students taught us some fly hip-hop moves.

We conducted a master class with Sejong University dance majors.

We learned steps from a traditional Korean drum dance from students at Sunhwa Arts High School.

We shared the stage with five local dance companies at a small, intimate show in the backyard of the Public Affair Officer’s home.

After the backyard show, everyone enjoyed a spontaneous dance party inside.

Through all of this, we saw again how dance has the ability to heal people, can transcend language barriers and can bring people together, no matter who they are. High fives all around!

Trey McIntyre Project in Southeast Asia

Trey McIntyre Project in Southeast Asia! 

Trey McIntyre Project will be traveling to the Philippines, Vietnam, China, and South Korea leaving on May 5 and spending a week in each country. TMP is touring as part of DanceMotion USAsm, a program of  the U.S. State Department and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. We are so thrilled to be sharing our love of dance and art with people around the world. 

The dancers have all of their vaccinations for the trip and their passports and visas are arriving today. We recently finished our first tour meeting prepping for our travels and have received our DanceMotion USAsm t-shirts, pins, and luggage tags. 

Thank you to the State Department, DanceMotion USAsm and Brooklyn Academy of Music for making this tour possible.