by Hakyung Sim
The month of October was full of treats for theatergoers in Seoul. Along with the usual domestic performances, works of foreign directors and companies were brought to local stages by festivals such as SPAF (Seoul Performing Arts Festival) and SIDance (Seoul International Dance Festival). Though I’m not dance-savvy at all, the array of Western contemporary dance performances interested me.
Above all, Sfumato, a work presented at SPAF by French choreographer Rachid Ouramdane and his company L’A, appealed with its slogan: “a sociopolitical dance-documentary about climate refugees”. It was introduced that Ouramdane's trip to Vietnam, where he witnessed refugees from a tornado, had inspired him. Sure, the widely anticipated use of water on stage was another appealing point. Seeing several productions recently with water on stage, however, had made “water” less sensational for me; I rather focused on how it was used, or what effects it gave on the overall experience.
