[Artist Interview] Korea–Italy Collaborative Dance Project – Ahn Aesoon, Choreographer > Notice

Korea–Italy Collaborative Dance Project, <The Butterfly Dream>

-       Ahn Aesoon, Choreographer

Q1. Hello, could you briefly introduce yourself?

I am Ahn Aesoon, a contemporary choreographer. I have been creating contemporary dance works for over 40 years, and many of my pieces reinterpret traditional Korean themes and movement vocabularies through a contemporary choreographic lens. I previously served as Artistic Director of the National Dance Company of Korea. And I intend to continue focusing on developing contemporary interpretations of Korean dance and fostering international exchange.

This work was inspired by Zhuangzi’s “Butterfly Dream.” Dreams represent a world beyond reality, where one can travel through remembered places and freely move between the past and the present. Through choreography and spatial design, this work sought to express a journey that moves fluidly between dream and reality. The performance also reflects the geometric beauty and historical depth of Changdeokgung Palace as its site. I hope audiences would experience a sense of moving between dream and reality, tradition and the present moment.

Q3. How did your collaboration with the Fabbrica Europa Foundation begin?

I have a long-standing connection with Maurizia, the artistic director of Fabbrica Europa. We first met at another festival, and later, during my tenure as Artistic Director of the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company, I participated in the Fabbrica Europa Festival and performed there as well. I also created many collaborative projects with Italian choreographers during that time. Because of that history, I reached out again for this project, and we were able to invite another wonderful Italian choreographer group, Fritz Company to work together.

Because we come from different cultural backgrounds, there were many challenges from the very beginning, including deciding on the overall direction of the performance. One of the biggest questions was how to work with the same group of dancers and what kind of choreography each artist would create. Ultimately, we decided that each choreographer would interpret “The Butterfly Dream” from their own unique perspective. Although we shared the same theme, we created two completely different choreographic viewpoints, which led us to structure the performance in two distinct parts.

Several months before the performance, we held regular online meetings to share ideas and reflect on the theme(‘The Butterfly Dream’) together. Once on site, it was not an easy process, as the dancers had to quickly adapt to two different choreographic approaches within a limited time. However, thanks to everyone’s dedication, I believe we were able to present a strong and successful performance.

Q5. How was your experience participating in <Kore·A·Round Culture>?

I truly hope that programs like this receive strong, ongoing support. Even though I have been active for a long time and have worked extensively on international exchange projects, many collaborations could not be realized because there was not a strong support system behind them.

Fabbrica Europa has also expressed great interest in this project and a desire to continue working together in the future. I believe that this kind of network and support should not end after one project; it needs to continue so that long-term relationships can grow and strong works can emerge.