Korean National Contemporary Dance Company - Double Bill: Voyage & Hakkō

Festival favourite Korea National Contemporary Dance Company (KNCDC) returns with a contrasting double bill which showcases the talent and precision of the company's dancers, including the latest work from choreographer Young-doo Jung since his 2025 Olivier Award nomination for Lear at the Barbican.In Jung's Voyage, a solitary spacecraft moves towards a singular point.

Drawing inspiration from the Voyager deep-space probes launched in 1977 which dedicated a lifetime to venturing towards the unknown, Voyage attempts to pause the present moment and lead us into an uncharted world beyond our experience.

A tongue-in-cheek score intertwines the sounds of the 'Golden Record' - a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk sent into space by NASA, containing sounds which aimed to capture life and culture on Earth for aliens - with rock, classical music, and Korean traditional rhythms.Inspired by the repetitive actions of the traditional Japanese cup-and-ball toy ‘kendama', Ryu Suzuki's Hakkō explores the gradual transformation of body and mind through focussed iterations of the simplest movements.

The dancers enter a trance-like state of deep concentration, giving Hakkō an intense energy which draws from club culture and electronic music - a modern prayer to keep breathing in a world of perpetual flux.Duration: 60 mins (no interval)Age guidance: 11+