Korean National Contemporary Dance Company - Double Bill: Voyage & Hakkō

Festival favourite Korea National Contemporary Dance Company (KNCDC) returns with a contrasting double bill which showcases the talent and precision of the company?s dancers, including the latest work from choreographer Young-doo Jung since his 2025 Olivier Award nomination for Lear at the Barbican.

In Jung?s Voyage, a solitary spacecraft moves towards a singular point. Drawing inspiration from the Voyager deep-space probes launched in 1977 which dedicated a lifetime to venturing towards the unknown, Voyage attempts to pause the present moment and lead us into an uncharted world beyond our experience. A tongue-in-cheek score intertwines the sounds of the 'Golden Record' - a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk sent into space by NASA, containing sounds which aimed to capture life and culture on Earth for aliens - with rock, classical music, and Korean traditional rhythms.

Inspired by the repetitive actions of the traditional Japanese cup-and-ball toy ?kendama?, Ryu Suzuki?s Hakk? explores the gradual transformation of body and mind through focussed iterations of the simplest movements. The dancers enter a trance-like state of deep concentration, giving Hakk? an intense energy which draws from club culture and electronic music - a modern prayer to keep breathing in a world of perpetual flux.

Duration: 60 mins (no interval)

Age guidance: 11+