This dynamic showcase of Korean contemporary dance arrives at the Lowry full of exuberance and vitality. Created by internationally renowned Korean Choreographer, Ae-soon Ahn and presented as part of the 2024 Festival of Korean Dance, Cheok, is a sumptuous feast for the senses. It features six extraordinarily talented dancers who perform an array of intricate solo and group pieces accompanied by atmospheric music and lighting.
The piece takes its name from, Cheok, a traditional Asian standard of measurement made by using the span of a hand. Ae-soon Ah, championing bygone traditions and values, encourages her dancers to embrace these to break free from the uniformity of society and assert their own individuality. Each of the dancers’ craft exquisite body movements that are executed with meticulous precision to create dance patterns that amaze, dazzle and delight in equal measure.
Key to the success of Ae-soon Ah’s choreography is her dancers understanding of space and how each of their movements, however big or small contribute to creating connections and landscapes that vary from being intimate and staggeringly beautiful to overwhelmingly commanding and powerful. These different aspects are reflected in the range of influences that Ae-soon Ah draws on ranging from ballet and street dance to martial arts and robotics. Ae-soon Ahn is known for attempting diverse experiments in choreography and in this piece she pushes her dancers to the limits in exploring not only the space that they inhabit but also the very nature of their precision and self-control.
Culturally, South Korea is best known for its K-pop music scene, fine cuisine, and award-winning cinema, on the strength of this high quality showcase its contemporary dance should also be similarly recognised.
Runs at The Lowry until 4 June 2024
