Present

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Show Details

Type: End stage; black box; short dance work
Performers: 2
 dance artists
Touring Party: 4–6
Duration: 20 minutes

About this Work

Two people locked in a physical dialogue that discusses existence and being. One looks for reasons, the other seeks value. How far will this discussion take them and what is their relationship? T.H.E resident choreographer Kim Jae Duk’s fourth creation for the Company continues in the vein of his highly physical, music‐driven signature. Conceived with the original cast Zhuo Zihao and Wu Mi over 14 intensive days of creation in Seoul, South Korea, Jae Duk’s existential exploration is nuanced with undertones of dark humour that heighten the urgency of his artistic investigation. 

Present was originally commissioned by National University of Singapore (NUS) Arts Festival 2013 as part of T.H.E Dance Company’s then annual Solo/Duet series. The work was also restaged and livestreamed from T.H.E's studio during the pandemic in 2020 as part of the company's #THEGOESONLINE series.

World Premiere: March 2013, NUS Arts Festival 2013 – Solo/Duet, University Cultural Centre Theatre, Singapore

China Premiere: August 2013, Haikou International Youth Experimental Arts Festival (HIYEAF), Haikou

South Korea Premiere: August 2015, New Dance for Asia International Festival, Seoul

Malaysia Premiere: November 2018, KongsiKL, Kuala Lumpur

Laos Premiere: November 2018, Fang Mae Khong Festival, Vientiane

Thailand Premiere: December 2018, Bangkok International Dance Festival, Bangkok

UK Premiere: February 2024, The Coronet Theatre, London

Digital Premiere (livestreamed): July 2020, #THEGOESONLINE, Singapore

Media/Audience Quotes

“Edgy, current and fiercely independent”

-Stephanie Burridge, The Straits Times

“...a deadpan pairing so potent... (in) this hypnotic piece”

-Mayo Martin, Today Online

Enquiries

For booking inquiries, tour rider, full performance video or more information, please submit the form or contact us via email at athelyna@the-dancecompany.com.

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