WEBZINE ACC

• Choreographer Ahn Eun-me

  “If I had been born in that era, I don’t think I would have lived very long. It was a time when women were not recognized as independent beings, and if I had been a woman with a shaved head who stood out like I do now… I probably would have been stoned. My lifespan would have been much shorter.”

Ahn Eun-me: the choreographer synonymous with groundbreaking dances that break the mold of convention, with her shaved head and flamboyant attire that draws attention wherever she goes. How might her life have been different if she had lived during the late Joseon era or the Japanese occupation period? Her comment about having a shorter lifespan was likely not just a joke. Even in today’s society, Ahn Eun-me’s striking appearance is somewhat unconventional; it would have been even more difficult to accept during the modern era. Perhaps this is why she is drawn to those women. With her work “Yojaya Yojaya,” a performance that brings to life the experiences of the modern New Women who resemble her in spirit, Ahn Eun-me comes to the ACC.

The Korea National Contemporary Dance Company’s “Yojaya Yojaya” is a work that explores the lives of Korea’s “New Women” who lived through the country’s modern era, as seen through the eyes of world-renowned choreographer Ahn Eun-me. The ACC Foundation selected “Yojaya Yojaya” as the third piece in its distinguished performance series, “ACC Choice,” and brought it to the stage of the ACC Theater. The performances on July 5 and 6 were met with such enthusiastic audience responses that it was hard to find an empty seat. Known for her groundbreaking performances that break away from the conventional frameworks of dance, “Dance to My Ancestors,” “Ahnsim Dance,” and “Daeshim Dance,” choreographer Ahn Eun-me approached the theme of “New Women” with her distinctive style. Ahn Eun-me wanted to dedicate this performance as a tribute to the New Women who, though neither recorded nor remembered, lived their lives more fiercely than anyone else.

• Choreographer Ahn Eun-me

  Women have always been a central theme in my life. I particularly wanted to talk about the lives of early modern women, like our grandmothers and their mothers, who had to endure so much. I wanted to explore the pain that the New Women who survived the modern era went through and the era they helped to create. Because of their struggles, we can live well and endure today. This performance is a tribute to those modern women.

A Tribute to the Lonely New Women Who Were Ahead of Their Time, the performance “Yojaya Yojaya” surprisingly begins with the image of a classic woman sitting alone, quietly sewing. As this figure, symbolic of the typical woman of that era, disappears from the stage, the transformation of the times begins to unfold. Then, the voice of choreographer Ahn Eun-me calls out the names of each woman, one by one.
Kim Maria, Kim Myeong-sun, Kim Pil-rye, Na Hye-seok… As the names of these women, once known to us only through the limited labels of “New Women” or “Modern Girls,” are called out, a subtle yet profound emotion arises. It is the moment when these women, who were overlooked and forgotten in the shadows of history, are vividly revived as individual human beings. The narration, which takes its time to carefully recite each name, conveys a deep commitment to remembering these women.

The New Woman, who appears on stage as her name is called, begins to cut her own hair. She pulls a pair of scissors from a large suitcase and starts snipping off her braided hair, even asking the audience to help cut it. This act goes beyond simply cutting hair; it symbolizes the severing of the chains of tradition and conventions that have long been imposed on women. It’s a powerful image that captures the audience's attention. From the very beginning of the performance, the distinctiveness known as the “Ahn Eun-me style” is vividly apparent.

• Choreographer Ahn Eun-me

  “We tend to have only a vague understanding of the concept of “New Women,” without really knowing much about it. It’s something that has largely been forgotten, and we haven’t had many opportunities to reflect on it. Maybe that’s why so many people cried when they saw the performance during its premiere. It seems to make people think of their grandmothers and the hardships those women had to endure during that time.”

It is a moment to reflect on the New Women who, during the turbulent times of the Enlightenment period and the dark, oppressive tunnel of Japanese colonial rule, desperately sought to find their own lives. “Yojaya Yojaya” vividly brings their lives to the forefront through various methods and devices. The dance movements of women in traditional white mourning clothes, swaying anxiously, evoke the stirring of self-awareness. In the movements of being dragged, tossed aside, leaping, and clinging, we can read the intense struggle to stand as independent human beings. The passion and intensity of the dancers’ every movement reflect the fierce spirit of the New Women that they portray.

Women fiercely resisting to break down the high, rigid walls of tradition; women who became independence fighters, holding guns and flags against Japanese rule; women who cast off their black clothes, shedding masks and shells; and throughout the performance, like the megaphones that the dancers constantly carry, these New Women shout their voices to the world. The narrative unfolds like a drama, and at some point, the audience finds themselves identifying with these New Women. In the scenes where they finally embrace freedom and liberation after a time of chaos and struggle, the audience too feels a sense of liberation and freedom. It naturally makes one want to applaud their efforts with all their heart.

• Choreographer Ahn Eun-me

  The voice of Na Hye-seok, the first-generation female Western-style painter, says, “Even if my body burns to ashes, someday in the distant future, my blood and cries will be sown on this land, and our future women will live more humanely, remembering my name.” This is also the message that choreographer Ahn Eun-me wishes to convey through “Yojaya Yojaya.”

• Choreographer Ahn Eun-me

  “As you follow the movements and stories expressed by the dancers, you begin to empathize with the hardships and struggles that the women of that time endured, even without detailed explanations. And in the moments of change, liberation, and the joyous cries of freedom, you can’t help but share in that joy. It’s a powerful work that makes you reflect on how, if those women hadn’t fought so fiercely, the era we live in today might have arrived much later, or perhaps not at all.”

The concept of the New Woman as portrayed in “Yojaya Yojaya” is not merely about a woman opposing men or limited to gender issues. It symbolizes a human being who, transcending time and gender, chooses their own path in life and takes responsibility for that choice. The reason why the story of the New Women from that era resonates meaningfully even today is likely because we all carry a part of that New Woman within us. Everyone, in their own way, lives each day striving to steer their life in a better direction, no matter how big or small the challenges they face.
Like the New Women who lived passionately by following their inner voices instead of conforming to conventions, what molds will we break, and what walls will we overcome to exist proudly as individuals? What struggles will we endure to live as the masters of our own lives? How will we contribute to creating a better community? These are the questions that “Yojaya Yojaya” poses to its audience throughout the performance.

• Choreographer Ahn Eun-me

  “In the end, it’s about talking about love and hope. It’s not about the past, but about the direction we should take in the present and future, the hopes we should carry to create a better society, and how all communities living on this land can be happy. Just as the New Women did, I want to inspire the audience to reflect on what struggles we must continue today.”