Dance: A new try, The most exciting

Although the number of famous international works that are invited has been reduced, the festival offers an exciting lineup this year. From Jérôme Bel, a French contemporary dancer, to the Ambiguous Dance Company, who are Korean dancers in promotional videos with 260 M views by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), the SPAF showcases 17 performances locally and abroad, including 8 in theater, 8 in dance, and 1 in gala. The most eye-catching work is Gala by Jérôme Bel, which was first presented at Kunsten Festival des Arts. The work proposed a new approach to dance, winning the applause of the audience. Gala in the SPAF is presented by cooperation between the French and Korean choreographers and 20 dancers. I Am Twenty Years Old, a performance celebrating the 20th anniversary, is the work of Eun-Me Ahn Company. Eun-Me Ahn is a world-renowned daredevil dancer, recognized in international stages such as the United States and the United Kingdom, who breaks traditions and customs. She is the first Korean invited to the Edinburgh International Festival. For this event, she will express how she overcomes time to advance into the future with her body by reflecting on the history of the SPAF. Her performance with vivid colors and humor will captivate the heart of audiences. If you’re curious about the joy of Korea, you should check out Catharsis by the Ambiguous Dance Company. The work awakens the dancers’ joys, expressing their excitement with unique body language. It’s an opportunity to join their “perfectly exciting” performance. Besides, the festival covers various themes, including Extinction, a joint work by contemporary choreographer Jin.J (Jeon Hyukjin) and fashion photographer Oh Joongseok, and NUTCRUSHER that deals with the female body.

Theater: Pandemic-themed

This year’s festival focuses on introducing various in-depth works by Korean performing art groups. Among them, I Came Out to See You, a pandemic-themed show by Theatre Company Nolddang, draws attention as it reflects the current situation. When it’s hard to meet people like these days , how should we build relationships with others? Audiences might immerse themselves in the performers even without noticing it.
Another show on the pandemic theme is Borderline by Korean theater company Creative VaQi, and German Residenztheatre. The anxiety of not knowing when the performance stops is reflected in the documentary film.
There are impressive performances reinterpreted into Korean culture from the original work, including I’m a Lunatic, an original work by Lu Xun; YONADAB, an original work by Peter Shaffer; and Bartleby, the Scrivener, an original work by Herman Melville.

Watching the festival by purchasing a Naver TV donation ticket

The biggest feature of the 2020 SPAF is that it is held online on the Naver TV official channel with a donation form. Those who wish to watch the festival should buy donation tickets on Naver TV channels for each performance. The ticket price per performance is KRW 5,000. A performance link, where one can watch the show following the schedule, is created once payment is completed. The performance deadline is different per performance, and they are not available after online showtime. To join the festival, you are required to present a Naver ID and a credit card available for domestic payment, and foreign IP addresses are not accessible.
Donation payment is available via access through PC or mobile websites, not the Naver TV application. Those purchasing tickets more than KRW 10,000 are given rewards, such as mini figures and eco-friendly bags.

Program