Review: Korean Contemporary Dance at The Lowry is ‘stunning, intimate and intense’

Unfortunately, this is for one night only but I was very lucky to go.

Performed in the stunning surroundings of The Quays Theatre, it is a perfect place for a performance this intimate and intense.

The stage is set up with bright white flooring for the dancers.

There are six chairs off to the side of the stage for the six dancers who
show up suddenly.

One of the dancers starts by moving alone to no music. It’s beautifully intense and showcases the immense talent on display before us.

He looks to be stretching before another dancer joins him.

The rest of them join in time and once they are all together they
perform as one, sometimes doing different movements.

This is the first dance of two.

This one is called Mechanism and is choreographed by Lee Jaeyong with music by MC Bluechan.

They use their bodies to make shapes by themselves and together, writhing and creating beautiful visions. The dancers have unbelievable body control that leaves you in awe.

They don’t stop dancing for a whole thirty minutes, a testament to their immense fitness.

Movements are robotic yet fluid and perfectly sync up to the name of the story, Mechanism.

During the break between the two dances, Her Sungim (who choreographed the second dance Everything Falls Dramatic) starts dancing on stage and entertaining the audience while the stage
hands clean up and set the lights up for the next performance.

Everything Falls Dramatic use the sound of their bodies to make music for a good few minutes before the music kicks in.

This performance goes through different moods as towards the end they
get tired and the music fades out and they all come together as one to rest.
It is a beautiful piece of life reflected in their art, and you do feel like you are going on a journey with these incredible dancers.

The music is beautiful too, made by the electro-acoustic duo, HuskHusk.

Just like the first dance, they all move with such purpose and every movement is needed.

Korean Contemporary Dance is an incredible way to celebrate Korean dance and shows you don’t need a big set piece to make a powerful impact and lasting impression on an audience.