Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre to bring 'Mimesis' to audiences outside Korea for first time
The troupe will perform the full production at Warner Theatre in Washington on Sept. 27 as part of a program marking the 250th anniversary of the United States' founding.
The Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre performs ″Mimesis″ at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Nov. 6, 2025.YONHAP
The Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre, a resident company of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, will bring its contemporary dance production “Mimesis” to Washington this September. This will be the company’s first time presenting the work to an audience outside Korea.
The troupe will perform the full production at Warner Theatre at 8 p.m. on Sept. 27 as part of a program marking the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding. On Sept. 29, the company will perform a roughly 15-minute excerpt from “Mimesis” as the opening act of a Korean national holiday celebration hosted by the Embassy of Korea at the National Portrait Gallery.
“Mimesis” reworks eight traditional Korean dances — gyobangmu; hallyangmu; a hand-drum dance known as sogochum; janggeommu; salpurichum;seungmu; a shamanic dance called mudangchum; and taepyeongmu — into a single production. The company’s artistic director, Yun Hea-joung, choreographed the piece, pairing each dance with a natural element: water, wind, earth, lightning, void, sky, fire and light.
Yun is a former principal dancer with the National Dance Company of Korea and a certified hallyangmu folk dance performer.
“Mimesis” premiered at the Sejong Center in November 2025 and sold out its full run two weeks before its opening.
Following the Washington shows, the production’s first appearance before an international audience, the company has scheduled more domestic and international performances in October and November, including an appearanceat the Korean Traditional Dance Festival at the National Theater of Korea on Oct. 24.
The Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre performs ″Mimesis″ at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Nov. 6, 2025.YONHAP
Founded in 1974, the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre has performed internationally, including at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, and has toured across Europe, the United States and South America. The company’s “One Dance,” also known as “Ilmu,” won the Outstanding Choreographer/Creator award at the New York Dance and Performance Awards, known as the Bessies, in January, becoming the first Korean production to win the honor.
BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
