DIVADELNÍ FLORA

May 16th Thu, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM | Konvikt – Divadlo K3

Lim Jin-ho – Ji Kyung-min A SILVER KNIFE Goblin Party Seoul

A quartet of female performers dancing, rapping and swearing in a whirl of provocative scenes. An emotional production of one of the currently most successful Korean dance groups reviving the local tradition. Its transformation on stage focuses and comments on the issue of the social status of present woman.

DISCUSSION follows

Ticket price: 120-180

suggestion of direction Lim Jin-ho, Ji Kyung-min
co-creation Lim Sung-eun, Ahn Hyun-min, Lee Kyung-gu, Lee Yeon-ju
dramaturgy Lee Harim
producer Kim Jin-woo
light design Lee Seung-ho
music Rémi Klemensiewicz
international relations Jang Soohye

premiere 19 August 2016

cast
Lim Sung-eun, Ahn Hyun-min, Lee Kyung-gu, Lee Yeon-ju

According to an old tradition, Korean women had to carry a silver knife, a so-called “eunjangdo”, to be able to defend themselves or voluntarily commit suicide in case their chastity was violated. A quartet of dancers find themselves on an imaginary island Silver Knife, a metaphorical prison where they are forced to hide their emotions and opinions. We watch the sinners in different life situations where they – apart from dance – also rap, swear and work off their aggression or simply hang around and do nothing. The sadness and pressure of the piece are crushed by the energetic sequence of daring images dominated by humour, a detached view and a sassy attitude against the rigid conservatism.

After its success in South Korea, the production was invited to be part of the exclusive programme HOTPOT: East Asia Dance Platform and Aerowaves Spring Forward in 2018.

“There is an air of quiet defiance in A Silver Knife, which reaches out from the edge of the stage and grabs you. (…) This piece has energy leaking from every pore. Soundtracking their own movement with live song, the dancers jump from raucous to polite before burying their heads inside a large box and emerging somehow changed.“

KELLY APTER, THE SCOTSMAN

“Four dancers ricochet wildly onto the stage. (…) Their long hair draped over their faces merging them into one bizarre organism. (…) The performers charm us with their relentless energy, led by the impossibly charismatic Lee Kyung-gu; she raps languidly into a microphone, before snapping out of her nonchalance to hammer movement home with formidable precision.“

David Pallant, THE LIST, Aerowaves Springback Academy Fellow ‘18

Lim Jin-ho and Ji Kyung-min are choreographers, dancers and co-founders of the Goblin Party dance group, working together already from 2007. The main principle of their work is interactivity, combating stereotypes and unique communication with the audience. Their project Once Upon A Time where they study and playfully reinterpret Korean legends became a pivotal point in their career when the association of critics and academics chose it as one of the best five Korean productions.

The Goblin Party, established in 2007, has gained renown on various national as well as international stages. As their symbol, they chose a goblin (dokkaebi in Korean), a mythical creature similar to the trolls that we are familiar with. They label themselves as a satirical political party of these creatures which are harmless yet mischievous, playful and competitive. The group does not have one leader but works as an equal collective of choreographers-dancers who create stories through the means of contemporary dance and broaden audience’s perspectives.