Post-Orientalist Express

In her latest work “Post-Orientalist Express”, the South Korean choreographer Eun-Me Ahn takes an astute and playful look at romanticized Western representation of Asia and explores how such clichés can be refracted to present a convincing and realistic rendering of contemporary Asian culture. What is the impact of Orientalism – a discourse where the “enlightened West” describes the “mysterious Orient” – on the identity of Asian artists? To what extent have they internalized this discourse, what is its significance for their exploration of tradition and contemporary art, for their artistic and choreographic exchange within Asia? And how might the encounter between East and West be redefined?

Together with her ensemble, Eun-Me Ahn searches for new artistic avenues between postcolonial guilt in Western countries and revanchist tendencies on the Asian continent. With her colourful and joyful visual imagery, she juxtaposes romanticizing clichés with elements from legends and pop-culture, highlighting their inherent contradictions. Her unique movement vocabulary rediscovers costumes and music from various traditional and neo-traditional cultures and reads them from a contemporary perspective. Outdated distinctions between tradition and modernity are overcome and a dynamic search for a new, hybrid identity begins.

Choreographer Eun-Me Ahn studied traditional Korean Shamanism as well as dance in Seoul and New York and is a long-standing friend of Pina Bausch. In 2018, she was appointed Associate Artist at Théâtre de la Ville in Paris. In Europe, her productions “Dancing Grandmothers” (2011), where dancers from several generations celebrated the resilience and joie de vivre of South Korean women on stage together, and “Dragons” (2021) were especially well-received. “Post-Orientalist Express” was developed in Seoul and celebrated its premiere there in early May 2025.