In the weeks leading up to Guelph Dance Festival 2013, some of the amazing dance
artists who will perform at the Festival will also share their vision with us
here on the blog. These intimate, behind-the-scenes looks will bring us closer
to the artistry, process, and experience of dance. We encourage you to not just
read these amazing stories, but to ask questions or engage in conversation
about dance in our comments section below. Welcome to our 15th
anniversary year!
Joshua L. Peugh, choreographer and artistic
director of Dark Circles Contemporary Dance—founded in Seoul, Korea, and now based in Dallas, Texas—bring us
Jokers in the Deck. Dark Circles Contemporary Dance presents at our On the Stage A performance on Friday, May 31,
8pm, at the River Run Centre. Gala and Talkback session to follow. Book
your tickets now!
Joshua: I met Cho Hyun Sang right after I left
Universal Ballet Company. I had been commissioned to create a new work for the
Opera House in Daegu, and through a mutual friend, Hyun Sang ended up in my
cast. While rehearsing the new work we spent countless hours drinking coffee,
eating pork, and discussing dance, sometimes until four in the morning. We were
a perfect match. We had the same ideas about movement and the purpose of art. We
saw a lack of humanity in the dance work being created and presented in Seoul.
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After that first performance, we opened a
small studio together where we could rehearse and create without the pressures
of the Korean dance culture, which was unvaryingly controlled by university
professors at that time. We sent our work out to local festivals and continued
to receive performances. Eventually, we decided our little enterprise deserved
a name. Because of our late night/early morning conversations, Dark Circles
seemed like an appropriate choice.
DCCD had its first performance in the spring
of 2010. Since then, the company has performed in festivals all over Asia and
has begun to bridge the gap between East and West, forming a new branch based
in Dallas, Texas. In January, DCCD made its North American debut at Tempe
Center for the Arts at Breaking Ground Contemporary Dance and Film Festival
with Cosmic Sword. The performance at
Guelph Dance will be the second performance for this new American incarnation
of the company.
Jokers
in the Deck was premiered July
22, 2011 at Arko Arts Theater in Seoul, Korea. It was also my first time on stage with one of my favorite people in
the world. I literally bumped into Kim Dong Hyoung in a dance class just as I
was starting to panic about the new work I was to create for DCCD’s second full
evening program. I couldn't find any available dancers I was interested in
working with. Dong Hyoung didn’t stop moving the entire class. I could see his
need to move, his pleasure, his obsession with dancing. I asked about him at
the front desk and left my business card. When he contacted me a few days
later, I asked him if he was available and, without any questions, he appeared
at rehearsal with a smile on.
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| DCCD. Photo: Ok Sang Hoon. |
During the rehearsal process it rained
almost everyday, but the work was so easy. Dong Hyoung’s willingness and
curiosity were inspiring. He was gentle and quiet and our work together allowed
me to answer some hard questions about fate that were spinning in my mind. I treasured
every minute I spent making Jokers. It’s
my personal favorite piece of work I’ve choreographed. I can’t wait to share it
with you.
Joshua
L. Peugh is Choreographer and
Artistic Director of Dark Circles Contemporary Dance, Associate Choreographer
of Bruce Wood Dance Project, and Adjunct Lecturer of Dance Composition at
Southern Methodist University. In 2006, Joshua moved to South Korea to join
Universal Ballet Company where he performed soloist and featured roles in the
works of Ohad Naharin, Christopher Wheeldon and others. After two and a half
years with the company, Joshua left UBC and founded his own company, Dark
Circles Contemporary Dance, in Seoul. Since then, he has created work for
festivals all over Asia and North America. His most recent works are Cosmic
Sword, White Elephant, and Slump. Joshua lives in Dallas, Texas.
Kim Dong Hyoung is a native of Seoul, South Korea. He began his dance career as a
back-up dancer and hip-hop trainer for some of Korea's top pop stars. He
trained and coached the original Korean cast of the musical Billy Elliot. Dong
Hyoung has performed works by choreographers Kiki Soh (Pas Troupe), Tovaris
Wilson (choreographer for Janet Jackson), Free (choreographer for Omarion), and
Bruce Wood. In 2011, Dong Hyoung joined Dark Circles Contemporary Dance and has
performed internationally, winning awards in Korea and Japan for his
performances in Jokers in the Deck. Dong
Hyoung is also a consultant with Bruce Wood Dance Project.
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Dance outside the box here!