South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines
Ahn Eun-Me Company
Welcome to Your Korea is a project in which ASEAN migrants living in Korea become the main characters. Ahn Eun-Me Company seeks a better way for Korean society to move toward tomorrow. The company decided to invite four choreographers from ASEAN countries with special eyes, ears and creativity who collaborate with ordinary people to create works that deal with challenging issues. The four choreographers meet migrants from their home countries and select participants/collaborators from them. Then each directs and presents a work (or artistic situation) through their own communication method.
AboutSince 2019, Ahn Eun-Me has been steadily exploring Asia as one of the themes for her work. Her previous works, one with Asian millennials as the main characters, and two collaborations with Indonesian dancers have gained international acclaim. Since last year, she has been focusing on the Asian continent, including Korea while meeting and having dialogues with artists (choreographers) from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines. During her trips for research and examination, she created a new work, Welcome to Your Korea to raise various issues. Workers from Southeast Asia, in particular, have struggled to survive between being legal and illegal, and in the process have become responsible for the new Korea of today. If they disappear, fresh vegetables on the table will disappear, and all small and medium-sized businesses' factories will stop. What countries with special power have in common is that “immigrants are recognized as citizens and can play central roles.” Can Korea, and indeed Koreans also achieve this?
Ahn Eunme
Ahn Eun-me has been running the Ahn Eun-me Company for over 30 years. She creates experimental performances by combining her unique creativity and development skills. She has been presenting new works on the international stage in places including Europe and Asia, which have demonstrated the power and the potential of contemporary Korean dance. In addition, as one of the most prominent choreographers and contemporary dancers, not just in Korea but in entire Asia, she is committed to training professional dancers and promoting contemporary dance education.
Ahn Eun-me has been drawing widespread attention with her work as a choreographer. Some call her “Asia's Pina Bausch.” She has been working under the motto “Man is a dancing animal.” “The natural history of the dance which belongs to the people who lived in this land” was the main theme of Ahn Eun-me's choreography. Ahn Eun-Me Company has been creatively (re)weaving the universal emotions of ordinary humans, and that is why, since its founding in 1988, the company has been well received as they actively present their works on the world stage including in Korea, the US and Europe. With fantastical colors and language expressed with the body, wild energy and humor, strikes that break constraining antiquated customs, and unconventional dance, the company is receiving extraordinary attention and special love from the world of dance today as it was yesterday, and as it is going to be tomorrow.
Major Works
Dragons(2021), Geoshigi Monologue(2019), North Korea Dance.(2018), Dancing Middleaged Men(2013), Dancing Teenteen(2012), Dancing Grandmothers(2011), Symphoca Bari_This World(2007)
Awards
2022.01.27. : 2021 Dance Grand Prize: Contemporary Dance
2019.10.18. : 68th Seoul Culture Awards: Dance
2019.10.17. : 2019 Gender Equality Awards: Cultural Person, Women and Culture in Network
2019.10.08. : 38th Sejong Culture Awards: Art, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
2019.03.27. : 2019 International Theater Institute Special Award, International Theater Institute
2018.02.28. : 24th Dance Art Award: Daeshim Dance, ChangMu Arts Center
2016.04.29. : Prix Culturel France-Corée , Le Comité du Prix Culturel France-Corée
Artistic Director/Choreographer ｜ Ahn Eunme
Choreographer ｜Siko Setyanto(Indonesia), Ea Torrado(Philippines), Khai Ngoc Vu(Vietnam), Pakhamon Hemachandra(Thailand)
Composer ｜Jang Younggyu
LX designer ｜Jang Jinyoung
Stage Manager ｜Kim Jimyung
Video ｜ Lee Haesung
Project coordinator ｜ Sarah Oh
Research ｜ Jaelee Kim
Ahn Eun-Me, an artist of body and movement, has been leading the Ahn Eun-Me Company since its foundation in 1988. The company presents a variety of art forms, and has earned a reputation as one of the most renowned contemporary dance performance groups in Korea. It has been collaborating with artists in various fields and reaching beyond the boundaries of contemporary dance to write a new history of the performing arts. Numerous dancers have worked with the Ahn Eun-Me Company to pursue their art with passion, as the company plays a role of a creative performing arts group and training organization for dancers, and achieves a good balance between the two. Ahn Eun-Me Company has been continuously presenting works for a long time, which is rare for private groups which tend to be ephemeral. And it is committed to creative mutual exchange among international parties by utilizing the global network it has been building since its foundation. In other words, it is not only focusing on creating performing arts, but also connecting those who have been oppressed in any way so that it can create space and time for a creative network that enables more free and horizontal speech (or speech and expression).
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