▲ Seocheon-gun Traditional Dance Company performing

The Seocheon-gun Traditional Dance Company is expanding the sphere of its activities to Mongolia, the United Arab Emirates, and Japan. On April 2nd, Seocheon-gun signed an MOU with the Seocheon-gun Traditional Dance Company and the Contemporary Dance Association of Shizuoka Prefecture at Iwata Grand Hotel in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.

Sato Noriko, the President of the Contemporary Dance Association of Shizuoka Prefecture, Takaki Shozo from the executive committee of the Tokyo Olympics in Shizuoka Prefecture, and Mayor Watanabe Osamu Iwata were all present.

The Contemporary Dance Association of Shizuoka Prefecture is an art company that interprets traditional Japanese dances and presents them in more modern forms. Sato Noriko, the president of the Association, is known as the mother of contemporary dance in Japan thanks to all of her contributions to the advancement of contemporary dance in Japan.

This agreement outlines that the two dance companies in Korea and Japan will continually and actively exchange art with each other. Part of this agreement stipulates that a children’s dance company from Seocheon-gun Traditional Dance Company will be able to take part in the cultural program at Shizuoka during the 2019 Tokyo Paralympics.

This is the second international artistic agreement reached by the Seocheon-gun Art Company, of which Seocheon-gun Traditional Dance Company is an affiliate, the first being the 2017 agreement with the Mongolian National Art Company. This reflects the excellence of our local traditional art with its roots in the region and with further domestic and international activities, the company expects to see a spike in international interest in Korean traditional art.

A Seocheon-gun official explained, “We hope that programs like this help form an artistic network of talent between Japan and Korea that will continue to grow. We will put forth our best effort into ensuring a successful cultural performance at the 2019 Tokyo Paralympics.”