SUJIN LEE

ID:YOUR GIRLFRIENDS(2024)

Premiered: 08.Nov.2024 Lichthof Theater, Hamburg

The dance piece Id: Your Girlfriends examines the K-pop idol industry and reflects on the societal conditions embedded within it from a feminist perspective. Inspired by the tragic suicide of the renowned South Korean idol singer Sulli, the choreography sheds light on the perception of K-pop idols as commercial products while simultaneously addressing the contradictory conservative view of women within a patriarchal context. The choreography deconstructs and alienates elements of K-pop—performances, music, gestures, and bodily patterns from South Korean pop culture. It employs various dance genres, weaving together contemporary, ballet, and traditional dance. This innovative fusion creates a unique, cross-genre dance experience. On stage, two dancers embody hyper-performative figures whose repetitive movements, athletic precision, and dance perfection craft images of endurance, mobility, and smooth surfaces—reflecting the struggle to survive in a highly technologized performance-driven society. Id: Your Girlfriends explores how bodies contend with increasing physical and psychological pressures, speed, and external stimuli, ultimately revealing aspects of self-determined feminist liberation. The performance aims to depict the multifaceted layers of its theme through shifts in perspective and contrasts. It seeks to sublimate empathy and critique for the tragic aspects of society into a darkly humorous sensibility. Finally, the performance challenges a new paradigm at the intersection of female tradition and modernity, questioning representations of everyday life and stage presence in today’s achievement-oriented society.

Artistic Direction/Choreography/Dance: Sujin Lee Co-Choreography/Dance: Ping-Cheng Wu Dramaturgy: Su Jin Kim Dramaturgical Advice: Barbara Schmidt-Rohr Music/Sound Design: Noah Jinu Moerbeck Lighting Design: Doria Worden Technical Director: Beata Berger Outside Eye: Pauline Schönfelder PR: Stückliesel

Funded by: Misnistry of culture and media Hamburg, Hamburgische Kulturstiftung

Yeon 緣(2021)

Premiered: 01.Jul.2021 Kampnagel Theater, Hamburg

“Yeon 緣” is a solo dance piece that explores the theme of human relationships, decoded through movement. It delves into parallel worlds, destiny, and the interconnectedness of human lives through expressive physicality. The work reflects on how lives influence and mirror each other across time and space, examining organic human connections through a fusion of literary interpretation and creative development. Inspired by Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84, which addresses parallel worlds and the concept of destiny, the piece explores the idea that, though our lives may appear parallel, we continually impact one another. It raises questions such as: In how many parallel worlds do I exist? How many parallel worlds exist within me?

Concept/Choreography/Dance: Sujin Lee Artistic Mentoring: Gitta Barthel, Sebastian Matthias, Su Jin Kim Assistance: Sylvester Sophia Röpke

IR(2019)

Presented in 2018 Studio Tanzquartier Wien, 2019 NAKT.festival Gängeviertel Hamburg

The choreography explores the individual perspective through the metaphor of VR glasses, engaging with subjective experience. VR creates immersive environments through visual, auditory, and haptic feedback, offering experiences beyond physical reality. While one person experiences it fully, others perceive it differently, much like how beliefs and perceptions shape unique realities. The choreography investigates how the body responds to these sensory experiences, translating perceptions into movement. The glasses serve as a gateway into the relationship between body, movement, and space. As the dancer shifts between virtual and physical realities, the choreography evolves, reflecting the changing perspectives and sensory cues. The movements embody the interaction between different realms, highlighting how personal perception and the physical world are interconnected.

Concept/Choreography/Dance: Sujin Lee Artistic Mentoring: Eldad Ben Sasson
Music: Cornelius Cardew – Treatise

selbstgespräch unter 4 augen (2016)

with Verena Herterich