Cover While K-pop and K-drama may steal the spotlight globally, Kim offers another mesmerising style of Korean culture to experience (Photo: Courtesy of An Jae Kyung)

Fusing evocative contemporary dance with traditional cultural elements, leading Korean dancer and choreographer Kim Jaeduk has created a unique performance—inspired by a single colour

On the rehearsal stage at the Tai Po Arts Centre, dancers sprint across the room before converging into groups. Some melt into the shape of wilted trees, while others jump, slap and clap to the beat.

The dancers, their faces flushed after hours of practice, are preparing for premier dancer and choreographer Kim Jaeduk’s latest production, Brown, which debuts at the Hong Kong Cultural Theatre this month in collaboration with Hong Kong’s flagship contemporary dance troupe, City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC). The award-winning choreographer and composer is the artistic director of South Korea’s Modern Table Contemporary Dance Company, as well as the resident choreographer of T.H.E Dance Company in Singapore.

While K-pop and K-drama may steal the spotlight globally, Kim offers another mesmerising style of Korean culture to experience. Approachable and stirring, Brown is unlike any dance performance you’ve seen before, partly because it’s inspired by a single colour. Everything from the costume design to the musical instruments, like the warm chocolate hue of a cello, is a nod to it.

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Photo 1 of 4 Kim’s choreography puts the colour in motion (Photo: Courtesy of. CCDC)
Photo 2 of 4 Kim’s choreography puts the colour in motion (Photo: Courtesy of. CCDC)
Photo 3 of 4 Kim’s choreography puts the colour in motion (Photo: Courtesy of. CCDC)
Photo 4 of 4 Kim’s choreography puts the colour in motion (Photo: Courtesy of. CCDC)

“Brown reminds me of nature and wood—but I just like the idea of brown,” says Kim. “It’s deep and dynamic, and I knew I could create texture, movements and something sensory out of a chromatic experience. I also wanted to focus on what we can hide within it.”

Kim’s choreography puts the colour in motion. Working with local Hong Kong dancers, Kim created moves based on tree branches, yin-yang symbols and Korean royal dances, while collaborating with Hong Kong designer Yeung Chin on the monochromatic costumes, gloves and headpieces.

“I wanted to contemporise what I was doing—to combine visuals with dynamic movements and make the audience feel good,” Kim explains. “I hope they simply feel the dancing and see the art through the visuals.”

While Brown feels decidedly modern, Kim continues to pay homage to traditional Korean music and dance with folk songs, pansori, a style of musical storytelling, and instruments like janggu drums. “I’ve always pulled from Asian influences and movements, but I’m happy to combine them with what I’ve learned in Europe and elsewhere to create my own style of expression,” says Kim.

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Above Brown, by Kim Jaeduk (Photo: Courtesy of CCDC)

Brown marks the artist’s first show in Hong Kong since 2018, and his second collaboration with the CCDC; he previously presented his martial arts-inspired contemporary dance show Jangdan, which went on to win the Outstanding Music Composition prize at the Hong Kong Dance Awards in 2019. And it’s likely just the beginning for Kim, as he hints at what might come next.

“I don’t like colours that are too bling bling,” says Kim, dressed head to toe in a billowy black outfit at the rehearsal. “But black and white could be potential angles for future productions. I want to continue challenging myself to add small differences in tempo or visual mood to create a totally new feeling.”

Find out more about Brown, view the show schedule and buy tickets here.

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