FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ON 7 APRIL 2025 — To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Singapore-ROK Diplomatic Relations this year, T.H.E Dance Company has been invited to stage Infinitely Closer, presented by the Singapore Embassy in Seoul, in collaboration with the Singapore Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and the National Arts Council (NAC). This commemorative performance will be held on Thursday, 24 April 2025 at 7.30pm at the Grand Theater, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul.

Infinitely Closer is directed and choreographed by Kuik Swee Boon, Founding Artistic Director of T.H.E who also developed the company’s distinct HollowBody methodology, which explores movement as an instinctive response rather than a structured form. Kuik also played a pivotal role in T.H.E’s longstanding ties with ROK, having talent-spotted and invited Korean dance artist Kim Jae Duk to be the company’s first resident choreographer in 2010, setting the foundation for over a decade of contemporary dance exchanges between the two countries.

The production, which marked the opening of the Singtel Waterfront Theatre in 2022, was first commissioned by the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay for da:ns festival and has since toured to OzAsia Festival in Adelaide, Australia, in 2023. It is realised by an international creative team, including South Korean costume designer Choi In Sook, Malaysian sound artist Kent Lee, Singaporean lighting designer Adrian Tan, and Macau and Hong Kong-based projection artists SEESAW (Jay Lee & Jay Lei). Together with the dance artists of T.H.E, the performance places the audience within an immersive setting with movement, light, multimedia, and sound merging into an ever-shifting landscape, where athletic, intricate choreography interacts with ephemeral holographic projections and immersive three-dimensional soundscapes.

Kuik reflects on the significance of this work: “At its core, Infinitely Closer is an exploration of freedom—what it means to be truly unbound, and whether such a state exists at all. In a world where our choices are shaped by invisible structures—societal, digital, even algorithmic—we find ourselves constantly negotiating between the illusion of agency and the forces that guide us. Through movement, holographic projections, immersive sound, and light, we invite audiences to step into this in-between space, to experience a moment of stillness within the currents of contemporary life.” He shares, “T.H.E has had the privilege of cultivating deep artistic relationships in ROK over the past decade, through collaborations, residencies, and festivals. It is an honour to mark this diplomatic milestone with a performance that underscores how the arts create space for dialogue, resonance, and shared humanity beyond borders.

The performance will be attended by invited guests from the ROK government, Diplomatic Corps, as well as leaders in the business, academia, media, arts and culture, and other sectors. A limited number of complimentary tickets to the performance will be made available by the Singapore Embassy through its official Instagram and Facebook pages.

NAC Chief Executive Mr Low Eng Teong said: “The NAC is proud to support the celebration of this significant milestone in Singapore’s bilateral relations. It speaks volumes of the people-to-people links that we have, which we will continue to nurture and strengthen through cultural cooperation with ROK partners. NAC looks forward to more cross-cultural exchanges and projects which showcase Singapore’s thriving arts ecosystem.”

Singapore Ambassador to the ROK Mr Eric Teo said: “It is heartening that an initial idea to feature a Singapore arts & cultural group in the ROK on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Singapore-ROK diplomatic relations is coming into fruition through close collaboration with the NAC and T.H.E Dance Company. I hope that this performance will help deepen the cultural understanding between our two countries and our peoples.”

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