JE_Burnt offering

JE_BURNT OFFERING

Je_Burnt Offering is a performance honouring the arduous labour and life of a person living today, drawing from the rhythms and melodies of Seungmu, a Korean folk dance, and the meaning of ‘Je’, an ancient ritual passed down through generations. Utilizing the rhythms and various beats of Seungmu, this dance performance, created based on Korean dance and accompanied by live gayageum and geomungo performances, possesses a unique colour and charm unparalleled worldwide. It naturally resonates with the audience by conveying a message of encouragement and comfort for our lives, drawing parallels between the daily existence of modern people and the sublime ritual of ‘je’.

Most dances from all over the world originated from ‘religious rituals’. What and how would ‘religious rituals’ have its form of interpretation in this generation?

According to the Old Testament bible, ‘burnt offering’ was a form of sacrifice, by bringing up the aroma from burning sacrificial offerings to deliver to God. As a choreographer, I thought that burnt offering was just as significant and sublime to the human life burning away time to death. The meaning of ‘burnt offering’ input for the ones caught up in repetitive daily routines and hard labour, portrays labourer’s losing meaning in their lives. Longing for their time in life to be as meaningful, the piece presents a modernized form of a ritual.