Avantgarde South Korean choreographer Eun-Me Ahn’s joyful riot of dance, music and non-stop movement brings together modern and traditional dance styles from across Asia. Whilst dragons are feared in the West, in Asia, they represent lightness, joy and optimism. Pioneering choreographer Eun-Me Ahn’s latest extravagant production sees her extraordinary company of dancers interacting on stage … [Read More]
Musician: Jang Young-gyu
And in other Apple news…
With all the excitement about the launch of the adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko on Apple TV, and Apple’s Oscar win, something that might once have been big news – the appearance of a free-to-view Park Chan-wook short film on YouTube – has not really had much airtime. Back in 2011, brothers Park Chan-wook … [Read More]
Shin Seung-tae’s new Trot persona
When Lee Hee Moon announced the disbandment of his glam rock minyo outfit Ssing Ssing last year, I forewent gnashing of teeth and rending of garments, prophesying instead that an abundance of interesting projects must surely follow. And Lo, it did come to pass. Female vocalist Chu Da-hye started her band, Chudahye and The Chagis … [Read More]
K-music 2020 online: Leenalchi
The final online concert in the Critics’ Choice strand brings us a band who’ve really exploded onto the scene this year. Critics’ Choice III: Leenalchi Thursday 12 November, 7pm Watch at www.youtube.com/thekccuk or www.youtube.com/seriousmusiclive Leenalchi are currently enjoying viral success with the video ‘Feel the Rhythm of Korea’, in collaboration with the Ambiguous Dance Company … [Read More]
SsingSsing at Pizza Express Soho and South Bank – a second-hand review
The SsingSsing gigs that opened the 2018 K-music Festival were the ones that I was probably saddest to miss of all the events this year. Sometimes other commitments get in the way (in this instance, a long-delayed summer holiday) so this is the first of the second-hand K-music reviews of this season (there will be … [Read More]
K-music 2018: SsingSsing, 2 October @Purcell Room
The 2018 K-Music festival opens with Lee Heemoon’s amazing glam-fusion band SsingSsing at the South Bank: SsingSsing Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, London SE1 8XX Tuesday 2 October 2018, 7:45pm Buy tickets SsingSsing have been making waves across the globe, bringing glam rock and funk elements together with a charismatic theatrical twist that takes inspiration from … [Read More]
Review: Eun Me Ahn’s Let Me Change Your Name
Often when I go along to an event which I suspect will be good, I try to manage my expectations downwards. If I succeed in persuading myself that the thing may be quite mediocre then at worst I won’t be disappointed and at best I will be delighted when the event surpasses expectation. With Eun … [Read More]
Eun-Me Ahn’s Let Me Change Your Name in Dance Umbrella
This should be a treat. After Eun-Me Ahn’s Chunhyang in London (2006) and Princess Bari in Edinburgh (2011), nothing will stop me making it to this one. With music by her regular collaborator Jang Young-gyu (who is also one half of Uhuhboo Project and composer for Be-Being) we are in safe hands. Let Me Change … [Read More]
Park Chan-wook talks about Handmaiden, octopuses and more
I’ve now lost count of the number of times that Park Chan-wook has come to London. But it’s always nice to see him, especially when there’s his latest film to enjoy as part of a retrospective of his work at the London East Asia Film Festival. We got to see the amazing Handmaiden at the BFI … [Read More]
Sora Kim is the KCC’s 2015 Artist of the Year
The KCC have announced their artist of the year 2015 – an award judged by Jonathan Watkins (Director, Ikon Gallery), Emily Pethick (Director, Showroom), Binna Choi (Director, CASCO) and Je Yun Moon (Curator, KCC). Sora Kim has had a solo show in Britain before (Beccy Kennedy reviewed her 2007 BALTIC exhibition Melting Alaska for LKL … [Read More]
Festival film review: Bitter, Sweet, Seoul
Bitter, Sweet, Seoul is an ambitious crowd-sourced project in which people from around the world were invited by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to submit videos which would be made into feature length film. Directors (and brothers) Park Chan-wook and Park Chan-kyong (collectively PARKing CHANce) were commissioned to organise the submissions, attracted to the project by … [Read More]
K-Music: Uhuhboo Project + Pere Ubu at Scala, 16 June
K-film followers may know Uhuhboo Project (어어부 프로젝트) from the soundtrack of Park Chan-wook’s short film Night Fishing and his earlier feature Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, and the Project’s Baik Hyunjhin was in town last year for a performance at his solo art show at 43 Inverness Street. Uhuhboo was founded by Baik together with … [Read More]
Concert notes: Be-Being’s Korean Masque Music Project at the QEH
Be-Being (비빙) was the first of the five musical events of the All Eyes on Korea festival on the South Bank and set the scene well for the remainder. It was an evening of fusion: contemporary music on traditional instruments, with some of the numbers accompanied by traditional mask dances from a variety of traditions. … [Read More]
Be-Being presents Yimyeongongjak at the Queen Elizabeth Hall
The first of the music performances as part of the All Eyes on Korea festival is a fusion of up-to-date music on traditional instruments combined with traditional mask dance: Be-Being presents Yimyeongongjak Date: 23 July 2012, 7:30pm Venue: Queen Elizabeth Hall, London SE1 8XX Mask cultures are some of the oldest forms of entertainment in … [Read More]
Festival visit: Ahn Eun-me Company – Princess Bari
In reviewing the amazing work of Ahn Eun-me I am always faced with a problem: how to convey in words the extraordinary visual and musical experience that is so unique to her. When writing about her Chunhyang in 2006 I was at a loss for words. Trying to convey the intensity of the visual and … [Read More]