Eun-Me Ahn
Dancing Grandmothers
© © Youngmo Choe ©
© © Youngmo Choe ©
Choreography, directed, stage and costume design by , Eun-Me Ahn
Music, Younggyu Jang
Artistic advisor, Chun Wooyong
Lighting, Jang Jinyoung
Video, Tae Suk Lee
Costumes and stage set, Yunkwan Design
Dancing Grandmothers
With Eun-Me Ahn, Hyung-Kyun Ko, Nam Hyun Woo, Youngmin Jung, Si Han Park, Hyekyoung Kim, Jihye Ha, Hyo Sub Bae, Ee Sul Lee, Ki Bum Kim
Grandmothers, Mi Sook Lee, Lee Sub Shin, Mi-Kyoung Lee, SunDeok Kim, Chang-Nang Ahn, Jung Hee Yoon, Hee Sook Choi, Dal Wha Chung, Jung Nim Jang, Myunghee Lee, Hong Bun Son
Grandfather, Sang Won An
Commissioned by Doosan Art Center (Korea), in a joint production with Eun-Me Ahn Company // Coproduction 2011 Festival Paris Quartier d’Eté // Distribution for Dancing Grandmothers by Mister Dante, Didier Michel and Jean-Marie Chabot // With Festival d’Automne à Paris // With support from l’ONDA
An event organized in conjunction with l’Année France-Corée 2015-2016 - www.anneefrancecoree.com
First performed in February 2011 at Doosan Art Center
In association with France Inter
Together, the three works by Eun Me Ahn, Dancing grandmothers, Middle age Men and Kids form a collection of epic novels fit for the XXIst century, and give a voice to several generations. They testify to the different ways of life in the choreographer’s native country, Korea. She uses this dance trilogy to build up a portrait of society. Put differently, she allows moving bodies to tell their own story.
American-style road movies are one thing, but Eun Me Ahn’s on-the-road shows are another. In 2010, accompanied by four dancers, and equipped with three cameras, the Korean choreographer went round the whole of her native country, in search of grandmothers aged between 60 and 90 years old. She wanted to share with them the joys of movement and rhythm, picking up on the simple, authentic gestures she spotted as she made her way through the different provinces. From out of this process came Dancing Grandmothers. A blend of images and moving bodies, dances and collective memory, this show on the frontier between documentary and fiction interwinds subtle dances with everyday gestures in a masterful way.
How do bodies which have reached the mid-point in their existence express themselves? Taking this question as a starting point, Eun Me Ahn developed a unique project entirely given over to the male gender. After reinvestigating patterns of behavior and customs from the 1960-1970’s, the choreographer dedicates this coming-of-age piece to them, creating a joyful piece which renews ties with forgotten souvenirs and physical sensations.
Turning now to today’s youth, the so-called “Teen Teen”, brings a whole new landscape. With humour and virtuosity, we are given an up to date portrait of their customs and practices. A whole gallery of styles and new attitudes emerges, making for a choreography of a truly jubilatory nature.
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