SaltSoul

Choreographer and dancer Jungwoong Kim will examine the universality of sudden loss and trauma in a multimedia dance theater work integrating his heritage in traditional Korean dance with Western dance, improvisation, music, and found sound. The piece will be developed in collaboration with Marion Ramírez, Germaine Ingram, Merián Soto, and Korean musician Gamin Hyosung Kang. Kim will draw on both his personal experiences of losing a family member as a child, as well as two public disasters—a 2014 ferry accident in South Korea that killed more than 300 people, and a 2013 Philadelphia building collapse at 22nd and Market Streets, an event he witnessed—to create three performances that will ask audiences to reflect on how grief affects and connects us. Mobile scenery will guide audiences through multiple indoor and outdoor performance locations in Philadelphia's Chinatown including the Asian Arts Initiative and nearby Pearl Street. An accompanying bilingual website will make the project accessible to audiences outside of Philadelphia, offering a window into Kim's research, showing excerpts of the rehearsals and performances, and creating a platform for community members to connect.