WEBZINE ACC

For June, the ACC Wednesday Theater brings the unique and mystical spectacle of the Universal Ballet Company’s La Bayadère and the gala concert DITTO PARADISO for the 10th anniversary of DITTO.

Universal Ballet Company’s La Bayadère is a blockbuster ballet performance consisting of 150 dancers, 400 costumes, and a massive stage set. It is often considered one of the most dramatic ballets in the classical ballet tradition. An enormous elephant, 2 m high and 200 kg heavy with a 1 m–long trunk, appears onstage and shares it with the dancers—their presence rivaling that of the elephant. DITTO PARADISO is a gala concert put onstage by an all-star cast of DITTO members, past and present, like violist Richard Yongjae O’Neill and pianist Dong-hyek Lim. It is a celebration of chamber music with classics from Mozart and Bach as the stars look back to the past 10 years of their work and promise their cooperation for the next 10 years.

July will see the hidden Shakespearean masterpiece Pericles, Prince of Tyre and Treasure Island, a century-old tale of adventure and excitement.

Pericles, Prince of Tyre is a masterpiece that symbolizes the romantic leanings of the late Shakespeare and a masterful retelling of the titular Pericles’ adventures.

For August, performances by NOVUS Quartet, a string quartet whose robust and balanced technique symbolizes the best of Korean artistry, and the theater drama Ahn Jung-geun, a Dance in the Heaven are planned.

Ahn Jung-geun, a Dance in the Heaven is a work based on the last words of Ahn Jung-geun, an independence activist who dreamed of a liberated and free world even in death. It is a dramatic ballet performance that shows this young hero and human’s life and philosophy to commemorate the liberation of Korea.

September will see the performances of Cross-Cut from the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company and Dvořák, From the New World.

Cross-Cut is a 2014 lecture-performance where the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company members bring their expertise in traditional Korean dance, contemporary dance, ballet, and street dance on stage with stories of these dance forms. It presents a new form of performance-documentary to the list of this event’s performances.

October’s performances are the Hurrah of the Women, a funny and tear-inducing journey of self-discovery by a middle-aged woman, and the modern masterpiece The Last Empress.

The Last Empress is a landmark performance in the history of Korean musicals, first put onstage in December 1995 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the main character’s assassination. It captures her identity as a loving mother and a woman in politics who had to defend her state against the chaos of imperialism.

In November, the ACC Wednesday Theater will offer the chamber music festival Yun Bo-sun Salon Concert and the Korean Symphony Orchestra’s rendition of Beethoven’s most beloved work in Korea, The Spirit of Beethoven.

The 193rd regular concert of the Korean Symphony Orchestra, The Spirit of Beethoven, brings to stage the two well-known works of Piano Concerto No. 5, Beethoven’s the “Emperor,“ and Symphony No. 5 in C minor, also known as “Fate Symphony.”

December is the month of masterpiece ballet: the romantic story of The Nutcracker and Mozart’s masterwork The Magic Flute—all put onstage by the Korean National Ballet.

Notably, The Nutcracker combines the majestic music of Tchaikovsky, the technical excellence of the Korean National Ballet, spectacular structure, and charming story into a wonderful holiday gift for all ages.