Ploy (2009)
Choreography: Eun Jung Choi-Gonzalez in collaboration with Guillermo Ortega Tanus
Music: Andrew Drury
Performance: Guillermo Ortega Tanus and Eun Jung Choi-Gonzalez
@ First Floor Theater, La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival (May 16, 2008)
Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category
21
May
09
Video: Ploy
Recently Da·Da·Dance Project was recommended by Patricia Aulestia (President of the Mexican Dance Federation) to be participate in a festival in Korea (my greatest effort to be respectful by not mentioning the name of the festival). The festival was looking to invite a couple of foreign companies to come perform a 15 min. piece at their gala in October 2009. Our communication was all smooth in the beginning even if the organizer insisted on communicating in Spanish and only with Guillermo, entirely ignoring the female director of the company who obviously speaks his native language. We know how this thing works…. We know that many festival organizers like to bring foreign companies in order to to encourage international exchanges and multiculturalism. All for a good cause.
At first, the contact person was asking us about Mexican duet to be presented at the Gala, which at first we didn’t understand the term “Mexican Duet”. We asked him if he meant “a work” by a Mexican choreographer. He denied he used this term while it clearly was written in his email. Then in his next correspondence, he said since I presented my work in Korean back in 2003, he wouldn’t be able to consider us for this venue, unless Guillermo finds another person (no Korean) to travel with and perform at the event. We had to explain the concept of our company. The company is a duet repertory company run by two co-directors, so there are other choreographers’ works, but no other dancer. However, we wrote him that we would be presenting a work by Guillermo in this occasion. Finally he wrote back to us, saying because I, Eun Jung, is a native of Korea, regardless it is a work of Guillermo or of mine, I cannot be invited to perform. Also he was inventing that I was born in Daegu, Korea, where I presented my work in 2003 and because I was born there, it is not even a question that I could come present at their festival.
Today we disregarded the invitation. It was an humiliation and insult to a certain degree. We are not products that can be replaced by another race or gender. We work together for artistic reasons, not for selling our brand image in a market place. Rather, shouldn’t they be proud that a Korean artist is working in the field, getting recommended by a foreign organizer, collaborating with a foreign artist and working actively in a foreign land?
I feel very discriminated and betrayed by my own race. I have lived, studied, worked, created work here in the states since 1991. I did my best to advance with my career, my artistry, and my own personal life. I have received enormous support from generous, kind people around me both in the United States and Mexico. I am becoming a US citizen this month. I have been proud of my own ethnic background and always have worked and presented myself as Korean artist. At the same time I recognize that I am not perfect, nor better than others.
All artists need to be valued equally for their artistic endeavor and effort regardless their popularity, preferences, race and gender. However, I am having a difficulty getting over this bitter taste in my mouth and feeling extremely offended by this incident.
Any comment? Isn’t this considered to be “racial discrimination”? This is the second time that I was recommended for something and got turned down because I was a native of Korea. Isn’t there something wrong about this? Does this happen in other parts of the world?
- This post was written by Eun Jung
Da·Da·Dance Project will present “Mar Y Pos A: Intento Caminar” on May 1-2 at Teatro Mérida.
5PM at Teatro Mérida
La calle 57 de Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
Stay tunned! Our performance will be on Oaxaca Television Channel 9.
Serie de Televisión transmitida por Canal 9, Oaxaca tv
y a través de www.cortv.com.mx
03
Mar
09
enfoquenoticias.com
01
Jan
09
Video: Tiny Voices
Tiny Voices (2009)
Choreography: Helena Franzén
Music: Jukka Rintamäki
Performance: Guillermo Ortega Tanus and Eun Jung Choi-Gonzalez
@ Little Theater, LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (Dec. 22, 2008)
30
Dec
08
Flickr Photos
There are way too many applications and social networking websites these days. It is so incredible. Don’t know if it is for good or for bad. Really! We cannot keep up with them, of course, but look!, we have our Flickr page for the company. One more thing to look at if you have time to spare.
Don’t forget to go out and enjoy the weather and your friends and family during this holiday season… 
Happy New Year!
30
Dec
08
nEW Winter Classes 2009
We will be teaching Community classes at nEW Festival on Thursday, January 8. There will be other artists teaching at nEW Festival during the week of Jan. 5. For the complete schedule and more detailed info, click here. More information about nEW Festival, click here.
9-10 Guillermo Ortega Tanus
10-11:30 Eun Jung Choi-Gonzalez
Uarts Terra Building, 4th Floor
211 S. Broad St, Philadelphia, PA
