Seung Hwan Lee
AS A CONTEMPORARY CHOREOGRAPHER, I DEDICATE MY PRACTICE TO THE TRANSMUTATION OF INTERNAL THOUGHTS AND LIVED EXPERIENCES INTO A TANGIBLE PHYSICAL REALITY ON STAGE. MY ARTISTIC JOURNEY BEGINS WITH A FUNDAMENTAL INQUIRY INTO THE ESSENCE OF MOVEMENT AND THE HUMAN BODY, NOT AS A CLOSED SYSTEM, BUT AS A POROUS MEDIUM THAT CONSTANTLY INTERACTS WITH ITS ENVIRONMENT. MY WORK IS CHARACTERIZED BY A PROFOUND FASCINATION WITH THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE BODY AND THE MATERIAL WORLD. I STRIVE TO DECONSTRUCT THE UTILITARIAN PERCEPTION OF EVERYDAY OBJECTS, RE-EXAMINING THEM THROUGH A DISTORTED OR HEIGHTENED LENS TO DISCOVER NEW CHOREOGRAPHIC POSSIBILITIES. BY PLACING THE HUMAN FORM IN DIRECT CONVERSATION WITH THE MATERIALITY OF OBJECTS, I EXPLORE THE UNEXPECTED TENSIONS, ORGANIC RHYTHMS, AND ARCHITECTURAL SYMMETRIES THAT EMERGE FROM THIS ENCOUNTER. FOR ME, AN OBJECT IS NOT MERELY A PROP; IT IS A PARTNER THAT CHALLENGES THE BODY'S GRAVITY, ALTERS ITS TRAJECTORY, AND REDEFINES ITS BOUNDARIES. AT THE CORE OF MY CREATIVE ETHOS IS THE REJECTION OF A SINGULAR, AUTHORITATIVE NARRATIVE. I AM DRIVEN TO CREATE ART THAT FUNCTIONS AS A PRISM—A SINGLE POINT OF ORIGIN THAT REFRACTS INTO A MULTITUDE OF PERSPECTIVES, INTERPRETATIONS, AND DISCOURSES. I BELIEVE THAT THE POWER OF PERFORMANCE LIES IN ITS ABILITY TO GENERATE DIVERSE VIEWPOINTS, ALLOWING THE AUDIENCE TO NAVIGATE THEIR OWN MEANING WITHIN THE SHARED SPACE OF THE THEATER. ULTIMATELY, MY PRACTICE IS AN ACT OF TRANSLATION. I TRANSLATE THE PRIVATE OBSESSIONS AND IDIOSYNCRATIC CURIOSITIES OF MY INNER WORLD INTO A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE OF MOVEMENT. MY LIFE AS AN ARTIST IS SUSTAINED BY THE HOPE THAT THE SPECIFIC GAZES I CAST UPON THE WORLD MIGHT ONE DAY RESONATE WITHIN YOURS. I CREATE IN THE QUIET ANTICIPATION OF THAT MOMENT WHEN MY INTIMATE EXPLORATION MEETS YOUR CURIOSITY, BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE PERFORMER'S INTENTION AND THE SPECTATOR'S PERCEPTION. I CONTINUE TO LIVE AND CREATE AS AN OBSERVER OF THE INTANGIBLE, A CHRONICLER OF THE BODY'S HIDDEN LANGUAGES, AND A SEEKER OF THE PROFOUND CONNECTIONS THAT BIND US ALL THROUGH THE EPHEMERAL ART OF DANCE.