National Contemporary Dance Company to take audience on sensory journey through 'Caveae'

The National Contemporary Dance Company of Korea is scheduled to premiere “Caveae,” an experimental dance that has been two years in the making, in April.

The word, “caveae,” is Latin for dark empty spaces and cavities such as holes or hollow caves.

The dance explores the space of theater, where artistic ideas and experiences overlap. Instead of being seated in the seats, the audience of some 200 people will be moved to the stage where 39 dancers will perform.

As the audience will be on the same level as the dancers, the movements and sounds of the dancers will be directly felt by the audience, said an official at the NCDCK.

Choreographer Hwang Soo-hyun, a dancer-turned-choreographer, said the performance seeks to explore the senses that often go unnoticed by our visually dominated sensory system -- such as our senses of hearing and touch.

The show is the result of a long-term project by the NCDCK that commenced in 2021, inviting Korean choreographers working with contemporary themes to create large-scale works. The eight dancers participated in the development of the piece and held workshops with audience members to refine the theme of the overlap of the senses and the body in theater.

Co-hosted by the National Theater of Korea, the performance will take place at Haeoreum Theater in Seoul from April 7 to 9.