The Korean Cultural Center New York will present the National Dance Company of Korea's "Mask Off" on the center's theater stage on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. It is the work's North American premiere. Choreographed by Lee Jae-hwa, a dancer with the company, the piece translates the breath, movement and rhythm of traditional mask dance into a contemporary physical language.
The Korean Cultural Center New York will present the National Dance Company of Korea's "Mask Off" on its theater stage at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, and at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1. The performances are the work's North American premiere.
"Mask Off" is choreographed by Lee Jae-hwa, a dancer with the National Dance Company of Korea. It reinterprets the breath, movement and rhythm of traditional mask dance in a contemporary physical language. According to the center, the dancers' skill, dynamic group choreography and genre-crossing music come together to bring the humor and free-spirited energy of traditional mask dance to the stage.
The work was selected as an outstanding piece in the company's 2024 Choreographer Project and was chosen as the closing performance of the 2025 International Modern Dance Festival (MODAFE). The National Dance Company of Korea, founded in 1962, is part of the National Theater of Korea and primarily stages new dance works based on traditional Korean dance.
In 2022, talchum was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as "Talchum, mask dance drama in the Republic of Korea." The form features masked performers who mix dance, song and witty banter to satirize social status and power, and is characterized by an open structure in which the audience joins in. "Mask Off" borrows the masks and movements of this form but sets the narrative aside to focus on the movement itself.
The Korean Cultural Center New York theater is located in Manhattan near Koreatown on 32nd Street. Information on how to attend and on seating is available on the center's website.