Seoul City Dance Company to Present "Mimesis" Invited Performances in Washington, D.C. This September

On September 9, the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts announced that its affiliated Seoul City Dance Company will showcase its representative repertoire, "Mimesis," with two invited performances in Washington, D.C. this September.

The Seoul City Dance Company will present a full performance of Mimesis on September 27 at the Warner Theatre, located in the heart of Washington, D.C., as part of a special invitation commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. This performance has been organized to celebrate the long-standing partnership between Korea and the United States, as well as to introduce the beauty and artistic value of Korean performing arts to local audiences on the occasion of the United States' 250th anniversary in 2026. The performance is hosted by the Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the United States, in cooperation with the Seoul City Dance Company and the Warner Theatre.

Performance scene of Seoul City Dance Company’s "Mimesis." Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

Following this, on September 29, the Seoul City Dance Company has been invited by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the United States to perform key scenes from Mimesis for approximately 15 minutes during the opening stage of the National Foundation Day celebration held at the National Portrait Gallery.

Mimesis is a work that had its premiere last year at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, where it sold out every performance. The piece reinterprets eight types of traditional dances—Gyobangmu, Hallyangmu, Sogo Dance, Janggeommu, Salpuri, Seungmu, Mudang Dance, and Taepyeongmu—with a modern sensibility. The name "Mimesis" refers to the reproduction of essence through art, and the Seoul City Dance Company sought to go beyond merely recreating the forms and styles of traditional dances to explore and express the essence and spirit within them in a contemporary stage language.

Performance scene of the Seoul Dance Company 'Mimesis'. Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

The Seoul City Dance Company has infused a modern aesthetic while preserving the archetypal emotions, unique forms, and spirit embodied in traditional dances. The eight dances are connected to the flow of nature—water, wind, earth, lightning, emptiness, sky, fire, and light—allowing the audience to appreciate Korean traditional dance aesthetics within the universal imagery of nature. The variety of dance movements, costumes highlighting Korean beauty, and unique props of traditional dance are also major highlights of the performance.

Yoon Hyejung, director of the Seoul City Dance Company, serves as the artistic director and choreographer for Mimesis. A former principal dancer of the National Dance Company of Korea, Director Yoon is a recognized holder of the Hallyangmu, Seoul Metropolitan Intangible Cultural Property No. 45, and has continued to preserve traditional dances while engaging in modern creative works.

This Washington performance marks the first overseas showcase of Mimesis. After the Washington engagement, the Seoul City Dance Company also plans to stage Mimesis at events including the Korean Traditional Dance Festival at the National Theater of Korea in October.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.