Dragons by celebrated South Korean choreographer Eun-Me Ahn is a joyful mix of dance, music, holograms and spectacular costumes that brings together modern and traditional dance styles from across Asia.
Dragons in Asia represent resilience, joy and optimism. They are the inspiration for Eun-Me Ahn’s kaleidoscopic production.
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| Photo by Foteini Christofilopoulou |
Entering this fantastical world are holograms of six young guests from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Taiwan. All born in the year 2000, they appear as holograms, sharing their hopes and fresh perspectives on how past and future can coexist. They interact on the stage with Eun-Me Ahn and her company of seven South Korean performers with vivid and colourful projections bringing forests and clouded skies to life, powered by an evocative soundtrack, seamlessly blending traditional Korean music with contemporary pop and electronica.
Eun-Me Ahn is one of the most important artists in South Korea. Her dance company has performed at 11 major international festivals, including the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea. Dragonssees her connecting with Asia’s next generation of talent.
We sat down with Eun-Me Ahn to learn more about the show
What can you tell me about Dragons?
I hope Dragons can deliver a bridge for us, so that we can talk about the differences between Asia and other cultures, and then we can deal with the differences and understand each other, just like our cultures our holding hands.
What inspired you to create this piece?
This project is inspired by my work in Paris, where I worked as an associate artist. I was asked to create a project about the Millenium – at the time I didn’t have an idea, but I said that I’d think about it. Since then, I’ve been thinking about using this idea to portray this Korean millionaire generation. When I went to Indonesia to do a festival, I saw young people doing a gala show and watched these beautiful young dancers and realised that I had to not only talk about the Korean experience, but to look towards the young generation from across Asia. I knew it would be great to work with this new generation, and the idea for Dragons really developed from there.
And then the pandemic came, and all the dancers emailed me to say they couldn’t travel anymore because their families didn’t want them to go, so I was struggling to continue to create this piece. I decided to carry on, and as we could only communicate online, we started to develop the piece this way, and it ended up having an interesting impact on the whole piece.
What can you tell me about the holograms?
As I was having to communicate with everyone online, I needed to think about how we could dance together on stage, even if the dancers were not able to join me. I didn’t want to do anything simple, these dancers deserved a special stage just for them, so I knew I had to do something about this. I discussed some ideas with my video director, and we tried out lots of different technologies to find the best way of inviting these dancers to join us on stage from across the world. We found these 3D holograms, tested them and tried out lots of different styles, and when we were happy, we recorded videos of dancers from across Asia, and that’s what you see in the show.
What is your creative process like when you are choreographing a piece?
Usually, I’m trying to find what is interesting about a certain subject, why I’ve considered choregraphing about a certain thing. Dance is my second language, so I start researching the subject to think of ways to translate a message into dance. After that, I start to come up with certain moves with my dancers that explain those things. When we start to add in the sets and the costumes, everything comes together, but it’s a very long process to actually get something onto the stage.
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| Photo by Foteini Christofilopoulou |
How do you mentally and physically prepare for a performance?
Something I tell myself and all my dancers is just to own the best they can do at that time and to enjoy the show. I believe that if you focus on being your true self, the exercise will come onto the stage. You have to always be willing to do better than you did yesterday, and if everything comes together it will make a kind of sunflower on the stage for the audience to enjoy.
Something I tell myself and all my dancers is just to own the best they can do at that time and to enjoy the show. I believe that if you focus on being your true self, the exercise will come onto the stage. You have to always be willing to do better than you did yesterday, and if everything comes together it will make a kind of sunflower on the stage for the audience to enjoy.
Where did your arts career begin?
When I was 5 years old I discovered Korean dance, and the first thing I fell in love with was the colours. I started paying more attention to it, but I didn’t have any dance lessons until I was 12 years old. From middle school onwards I focused on it more, always watching as much dance as I could, and I’ve spent a whole career watching and learning from other dancers. From that experience, I can make a visual idea in my brain of what the process should be and can focus on finding the beauty in any dance. I studied dance at university too andlearned the history of dance and was introduced to international dance styles. I fell in love with choreography at this time and just wanted to do it all the time, in fact, I choreographed almost every day at this point. From that moment I never stopped, and here I am now.
When I was 5 years old I discovered Korean dance, and the first thing I fell in love with was the colours. I started paying more attention to it, but I didn’t have any dance lessons until I was 12 years old. From middle school onwards I focused on it more, always watching as much dance as I could, and I’ve spent a whole career watching and learning from other dancers. From that experience, I can make a visual idea in my brain of what the process should be and can focus on finding the beauty in any dance. I studied dance at university too andlearned the history of dance and was introduced to international dance styles. I fell in love with choreography at this time and just wanted to do it all the time, in fact, I choreographed almost every day at this point. From that moment I never stopped, and here I am now.
What was the first piece of theatre you saw that had a big impact on you?
I entered my first competition when I was 12 years old, where every child was doing their own solo. None of the performances felt really real, but it made me realise that I had a chance to do something special. At the time there wasn’t many performances happening in Korea, but when I was in University, many Western (especially American) dance companies came to Seoul. Seeing them gave me an idea of how western dance was developed and choreographed, but I knew that I had to reflect my own culture as a Korean as well. In the 1980’s, people in Korea were trying to find the roots of our culture, and I finally saw Korean dancers that really shocked me and touched my heart. It made me think: how can one little woman touch me in the audience across this massive distance? It made me realise that this is what my life should be like, and that I should reflect my life onto the stage, rather than trying to be something different. From that moment, I've been thinking more about daily life, and it's helped me to remain focused on training and studying.
I entered my first competition when I was 12 years old, where every child was doing their own solo. None of the performances felt really real, but it made me realise that I had a chance to do something special. At the time there wasn’t many performances happening in Korea, but when I was in University, many Western (especially American) dance companies came to Seoul. Seeing them gave me an idea of how western dance was developed and choreographed, but I knew that I had to reflect my own culture as a Korean as well. In the 1980’s, people in Korea were trying to find the roots of our culture, and I finally saw Korean dancers that really shocked me and touched my heart. It made me think: how can one little woman touch me in the audience across this massive distance? It made me realise that this is what my life should be like, and that I should reflect my life onto the stage, rather than trying to be something different. From that moment, I've been thinking more about daily life, and it's helped me to remain focused on training and studying.
How do you reflect on your career so far?
So far so good, I think! My career has led me to the UK, where I’m doing this tour with the Arts Council and Dance Consortium. In Korea I’ve become a leader of contemporary arts, especially dance, and this is a great way to share my ideas with wider audiences. In fact, I don’t just work in dance anymore, but also look at other traditional art forms, and have even become a feminist and taught about gender issues. I’m always trying to break boundaries, and want to work towards the future, to help people live better lives in the future. I’m curious about everything still – in fact, I’m beginning to look at Fine Arts too, because dance isn’t the only way that I want to express myself.
So far so good, I think! My career has led me to the UK, where I’m doing this tour with the Arts Council and Dance Consortium. In Korea I’ve become a leader of contemporary arts, especially dance, and this is a great way to share my ideas with wider audiences. In fact, I don’t just work in dance anymore, but also look at other traditional art forms, and have even become a feminist and taught about gender issues. I’m always trying to break boundaries, and want to work towards the future, to help people live better lives in the future. I’m curious about everything still – in fact, I’m beginning to look at Fine Arts too, because dance isn’t the only way that I want to express myself.
What gives you inspiration?
Being human gives me inspiration. Life is not that easy, but living an artistic life gives me the chance to help other people get through whatever pain they’re experiencing. We all have to pass through painful moments, because living on this Earth is fragile. But this gives me constant motivation to continue with this job.
Being human gives me inspiration. Life is not that easy, but living an artistic life gives me the chance to help other people get through whatever pain they’re experiencing. We all have to pass through painful moments, because living on this Earth is fragile. But this gives me constant motivation to continue with this job.
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| Photo by Foteini Christofilopoulou |
What do you hope an audience member takes away from seeing Dragons?
I hope they can fall in love with contemporary dance. Contemporary dance shouldn’t be difficult to understand – I want kids to fall in love with this project too, so it needs to make them think about lots of things. No matter what they take away from it, I think it will be a good message for them. Not only kids, but also artists and the older generation. We’re trying to give audiences hope that there is no end - our hearts can touch eachother again and again. A dragon goes over and over again, with no end because it never stops and never dies, and this should be the energy that we keep throughout life
I hope they can fall in love with contemporary dance. Contemporary dance shouldn’t be difficult to understand – I want kids to fall in love with this project too, so it needs to make them think about lots of things. No matter what they take away from it, I think it will be a good message for them. Not only kids, but also artists and the older generation. We’re trying to give audiences hope that there is no end - our hearts can touch eachother again and again. A dragon goes over and over again, with no end because it never stops and never dies, and this should be the energy that we keep throughout life
Eun-Me Ahn Dance Company: Dragons is currently on tour and visits Milton Keynes Theatre on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th March 2025. Tickets are available from https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/eun-me-ahn-dance-company-dragons/milton-keynes-theatre/
You can find full tour dates and venues from https://danceconsortium.com/touring/eun-me-ahn-dance-company-2025/book-now/
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