Few contemporary dance productions have engaged Korea’s ritual heritage as imaginatively as One Dance (Ilmu). Created by the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre, it draws on Jongmyo jeryeak — the royal ancestral ritual music and dance — to reinterpret a centuries-old tradition through a contemporary theatrical lens. Its restrained staging and finely calibrated choreography reveal how seemingly remote cultural heritage can inspire artistic innovation.
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A scene from the opening act of One Dance, featuring munmu, the civil dance of Joseon scholar-officials. Dressed in white danryeong robes, the dancers form orderly ranks to open the ritual. Two ㄷ-shaped lighting structures evoke the layout of Jongmyo Shrine.
Courtesy of the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre
Despite drawing on the relatively unfamiliar subject of Jongmyo jeryeak, One Dance has demonstrated an exceptional ability to engage audiences. Among recent productions inspired by Korean tradition, it stands out for its sustained public appeal. Since its premiere in 2022, the production has maintained annual seat occupancy rates exceeding 90 percent, a remarkable feat given the scale of the 3,000-seat Grand Theater at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, where it is regularly staged. The work’s appeal clearly extends beyond the novelty often associated with new productions.
Its reception outside of Korea has been equally noteworthy. A year after its premiere, One Dance was presented at New York’s renowned Lincoln Center as part of the Korean Arts Week. Although it was the only ticketed event in the program, all three performances sold out. The production was warmly received by audiences and critics alike, earning praise for its distinctive artistic language and innovative engagement with Korean tradition.
Recognition followed in January of this year, when choreographers Jeong Hye-jin, Kim Sung-hoon, and Kim Jae-duk were honored in the Outstanding Choreographer/Creator category at the 41st New York Dance and Performance Awards, more widely known as the Bessies. Presented annually for exceptional artistic achievement, the award marked a historic first for a Korean dance work and further affirmed the production’s growing international reputation.
Yet the significance of One Dance cannot be measured solely through attendance figures or awards; rather, the true source of its widespread appeal lies in the remarkable moments of immersion it creates.
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One Dance’s opening act also features mumu, the military dance of Joseon military officials. Choreography based on stylized sword movements conveys the ritual's disciplined energy.
Courtesy of the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre
TRADITION SUMMONED TO THE PRESENT
Located in Seoul’s Jongno District, Jongmyo is the royal ancestral shrine where the spirit tablets of Joseon kings and queens are preserved. It is a space dedicated to memorial rites honoring the rulers of the dynasty that lasted from 1392 to 1910. Jongmyo jerye refers to the ancient rites themselves, while Jongmyo jeryeak is a collective term for the music, song, and dance performed during the ceremonies. Although the Chinese character ak (樂) in jeryeak specifically denotes music, the term applied to music, song, and dance in the Joseon period.
One Dance takes its point of departure from ilmu, the ceremonial line dance performed during these ancestral rites. The best-known form is palilmu, danced by 64 performers arranged in eight rows. Traditionally, ilmu is classified into munmu (civil dance), which extols the civil accomplishments of former rulers and is accompanied by a musical suite called Botaepyeong (lit. “Maintaining the Great Peace”), and mumu (military dance), which commemorates military achievements and is accompanied by a musical suite called Jeongdaeeop (“Founding a Great Dynasty”). The ritual costumes and accessories, the stately flow of the music, and the ensemble’s restrained movements combine to create an enthralling aesthetic experience unlike anything else.
A closer look reveals that One Dance draws inspiration not only from ilmu but also from a broader range of traditional Korean dance forms. While details have evolved through successive iterations, the production has retained its overall four-part structure.
The opening act features choreography that is based on the characteristic elements of traditional ilmu. It explicitly conveys the work’s artistic direction and sets the stage for the acts that follow. The second act takes its motif from Chunaengmu, a court dance depicting an oriole perched among willow branches. Originally performed as a solo dance, it is reimagined here as a large ensemble piece that heightens audiences’ visual pleasure. Flowing sleeves become extensions of the dancers’ movements, generating a sense of grace and fluidity across the stage. The third act shifts to a quieter register. Three dancers evoke a restrained elegance suggestive of bamboo, a long-standing symbol of integrity and steadfastness in East Asian aesthetics. The final act presents an original work titled Sin-ilmu (“New Ilmu”), which reinterprets the meaning and aesthetics behind the music, choreography, and fashion of traditional ilmu. Together, the four acts create distinct atmospheres while maintaining a coherent aesthetic vision.
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This scene from the fourth act, Sin-ilmu, brings music, choreography, and costume together in a dynamic finale. The ensemble’s fluid movements express the work’s vitality and contemporary sensibilities.
Courtesy of the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre
COLLABORATION AS ARTISTIC VISION
Many elements of One Dance draw in the audience. But among the production’s most striking features is the mise-en-scène created by the dancers’ refined movements. Against the darkness of the theater, dancers appear on an immaculate white stage arranged in meticulously ordered formations. The precisely synchronized choreography generates shifting geometric patterns that deliver a thrilling visual experience. Music plays an equally important role. While grounded in elements of Korean traditional music, the score allows space for reinterpretation and variation, responding to changes in movement, atmosphere, and dramatic rhythm.
This achievement emerges from close collaboration among artists working across different disciplines. Creative director and designer Jung Ku-ho sets the tone and mood for each scene through costume, color, and stage imagery, establishing distinct emotional and visual textures. The Korean aesthetic Jung has developed through his collaborations with the National Dance Company of Korea on productions such as Scent of Ink (Mukhyang), The Banquet (Hyangyeon), and Sanjo (a musical improvisation involving an instrumental solo) finds new expression in One Dance. Choreographer Jeong Hye-jin actively deconstructs the form and structures of Korean traditional dance, translating them into a distinctive visual language. Composer and performer Kim Jae-duk complements these visual elements with a musical approach that both honors and reinterprets tradition. At times the work adheres to the solemnity commonly associated with ritual; at others, it departs from expectation. The artistic sensibilities cultivated by the three creators converge organically, resulting in a work of remarkable coherence.
Until recently, ancestral rites such as Jongmyo jeryeak rarely occupied a place in contemporary Korean performing arts. One Dance marks a turning point, sparking renewed interest in ritual traditions as an art form. In doing so, it has helped expand the possibilities of contemporary performance both at home and abroad while reaffirming the enduring relevance of Korea’s cultural heritage.
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A scene from the second act inspired by Chunaengmu, a traditional court dance. Here, a suspended red hwamunseok mat transforms the dance’s traditional performance surface into a striking stage element.
Courtesy of the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre
한국국제교류재단
