CROSSROADS

DANCE

14 Oct

Recently landed: Crossroads

Gracia’s written response to 두물머리 Dumulmeori (where two rivers meet) by Alisdair Macindoe, Chosul Kim, Haneul Jung, Michelle Heaven, especially for Fjord Review.

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Haneul Jung oscillates between the definition of the Korean word, man-il meaning “ten thousand days” and “what if.”[i] Man-il, the first of four solo works presented at the confluence of two rivers is where 두물머리 Dumulmeori (where two rivers meet) begins. Situated in the phenomenal, what better place for a conversation between Australian choreographers Michelle Heaven and Alisdair Macindoe and Korean artists Chosul Kim and Jung. Billed as four artists, two countries, one show, conceived and curated by Brendan O'Connell, on the opening night in Sylvia Staehli Theatre at Dancehouse, time compresses and extends, and as it does, there is much to ponder. Presented as part of Melbourne Fringe, at Jung’s “crossroads” wavering between “lengthening and recoiling”, between the possibilities of “a shelter and an escape”[ii], space is teased out to contract like an accordion.

Jung is connected to a central cord on the back wall. The cord disappears between the black curtains and in doing so it makes a pouch- or womb-like shelter of the theatre space. Drawing a distinction between inside and outside, visible and hidden, by not being able to see where the end of the cord leads, I think about the space beyond the walls of the actual theatre. Outside the theatre, together with the soundscape of composer Jiho Jang, I can hear the thread of traffic on the parade, affirming, to me, that in this moment, the cocoon is protection. But this cord is elastic, and this pause is temporary. As Jung, lying on his back, pulls further and further away, the inevitable snap! With the cord untethered from its anchor, but still connected to Jung’s body at the navel, it is a rope to coil around his neck, before unspooling to safety; a harp string to pluck, with his arm extended and bent at the elbow; a ball of wool in which his raised foot becomes a cat’s paw toying and inquisitive; an extension of the body, and a source of independence.

[i] Haneul Jung, Man-il synopsis, Dancehouse, https://www.dancehouse.com.au/whats-on/dumulmeori/, accessed 7th October, 2025.

[ii] Man-il synopsis, Dancehouse, 2025.