The 29th Critics' Choice Dance Festival, Lee Hae-ni: EGG.jpg & Kim Won-young: Crossroads
Showtimes
Wednesday ~ Thursday (19:30)
Cast
Kim So-hye, Kim Min-soo, Seo Bo-kwon, Park Kyung-hee, Jung Jong-woong, Nam Ga-young, Choi Tae-hyun, etc.
Creative Team
Jeon Kang-hee, Kim Jae-eok, Park Min-ho, etc.
Synopsis
[Performance Introduction] A New Standard for Dance That Transcends the Era The Uniqueness of Being the First to Embrace Trends The Thrill of Witnessing Tomorrow's Masters Celebrating its 29th edition, the ‘Critics’ Choice Dance Festival 2026’ is a venue where eight artists, carefully selected by the discerning eye of critics, prove their artistic substance on the grand theater stage. These ‘Young Masters,’ who are building their own independent production systems, present eight new premiere works honed intensely exclusively for this stage. Beyond the mere presentation of works, the structure in which choreographers personally assemble teams and take full responsibility for the entire stage has become a solid foundation of independence, producing contemporary dance icons and companies such as Jeong Bo-kyung, Kim Bo-ram, Cha Jin-yup, Jang Hye-rim, and Bae Jin-ho. Now, the artists carrying on this lineage present a clear coordinate system through stages perfected by uncompromising exploration, allowing the audience to preemptively claim the present and future of Korean dance from the forefront. Follow the ‘New Standard’ constructed by eight choreographers through their own unique perspectives. Composed entirely of new works, this festival will be the surest and most thrilling path to discover where Korean dance is headed right now. Solve the Maze! The journey, starting at ‘START’ and progressing through the eight works in sequence to reach ‘END,’ is a trip to discover the eight worlds proposed by this year’s festival. By personally solving the maze in the printed materials, you can experience the flow of the festival before the performances and enjoy a special opportunity to take advantage of ticket discounts. ※ Promotional materials such as CC26 leaflets and postcards will be distributed in early May at major theaters, independent bookstores, and cafes in Daehak-ro within Seoul. (List to be announced soon) <Egg.jpg> The place where life begins, yet a state of nothingness. If boiled, it becomes a snack; If broken, it becomes a dish; If bound, it becomes data. It can become anything, but the moment it is saved as ‘.jpg,’ it is fixed as a single image. A body that is chosen, packaged, and consumed. Or something left behind, having become nothing. EGG.jpg lies somewhere in between. Lee Haeni (President of Haenish Ballet), 2025 Outstanding Choreographer After graduating from Ewha Womans University with a bachelor's degree in Dance and a master's degree from the same university, Lee Haeni began her career as a member of Ballet Blanc. She received the Best Choreographer Award at the 2021 Korea Ballet Association New Choreographer Showcase and was named Outstanding Choreographer at the 2025 Critics' Choice Awards. She was also selected as a writer for the 2024 ‘ARCO Dance & Connection’. She continues her artistic activities through invitations to K-Ballet World and production support from ARKO, and currently serves as the President of Haenish Ballet. <Cross> “Have our clocks ever run exactly the same way, even once?” The work <Cross> begins with a question posed to ‘Chronos,’ the physical time that applies equally to everyone. It portrays, through the language of the body, the process by which fleeting moments transform into distinct waves within each of our lives. This work strips away the illusion of "common time" that once bound us together and visualizes on stage the psychological time lag that unfolds within that gap. It presents a landscape of humans who, while physically occupying the same spatiotemporal space, float at their own speeds, following their individual senses and memories. It unfolds this scene of unfamiliar yet beautiful intersection on stage. Kim Won-young (Member of Dance Company Ultimate) Kim Won-young completed his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees at the School of Dance, Korea National University of Arts. He served as the Representative of Dance Company Ultimate from 2023 to 2024. In 2022, he won the Outstanding Choreography Award in the Small Theater category at the Korea Dance Festival and was invited to Slovenia for the Seoul International Choreography Festival (SCF). She has lectured at the National Gugak High School and Hanyang University, and in 2025, she continued her activities by appearing as a dancer in nine productions, including the National Dance Company.
Nearby Stays
Recommended stays found around the venue