Swedish choreographer brings his visually explosive work to LG Arts Center Seoul with GoteborgsOperans Danskompani

Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman is bringing his signature visual audacity and theatrical flair to the Seoul stage for the first time this month with "Hammer," hoping to enrapture audiences and provoke reflection.

"I'm a showman," Ekman said at a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday. "I love a great show. I love entertainment. But for me, good entertainment means holding your attention. It's not about a specific genre or style; it's about the ability to keep your focus for a full performance, which is very difficult these days, especially now with our phones and all our concentration issues."

Ekman's works are celebrated for their style that blurs the line between performance art and spectacle. In "Play," he filled the stage with some 60,000 green balls. In his "Swan Lake," he flooded the stage with 5,000 liters of water. And in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," he transformed bales of straw into a landscape oscillating between dream and nightmare.

"I always try to do what I myself want to see when I go to the theater," he added. "When I go to the theatre, I want to be surprised, or wild, or captured by whatever is happening on stage."

One of the most sought-after choreographers by major theaters and dance companies worldwide, Ekman started in ballet before redrawing the map of contemporary dance. After making his choreographic debut at 21 with the Cullberg Ballet, he went on to create acclaimed works for Nederlands Dans Theater, the Royal Swedish Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet.

This weekend, he brings his 2022 creation "Hammer" to the LG Arts Center Seoul, performing Friday through Sunday with GoteborgsOperans Danskompani, Sweden's leading contemporary dance company.

A high-energy, visually arresting piece, "Hammer" is a work about altruism and egoism, according to the choreographer.

"We often say, 'That person has such a big ego.' But what does that actually mean?" Ekman said. "When someone's ego becomes very cemented, when we're firm in our opinions, it becomes hard for us to meet, to connect, to exchange information. So the hammer is there to break the ego open."

Katrin Hall, the artistic director of GoteborgsOperans Danskompani, sees "Hammer" as a perfect fit for the company's mission to reflect contemporary society through dance.

"We're a contemporary dance company with big ambitions," Hall said. "We want to be a leading voice in our field. That means taking risks."

Hall said she seeks out choreographers "who can move, touch and inspire" both the audience and the dancers, who make us all think and reflect.

"Hammer certainly does that. It's exactly the kind of piece that represents our vision."

Hall first collaborated with Ekman when he was 24. "He's developed enormously since then," she said. "He's now one of the leading choreographers in the world, and this piece truly aligns with our artistic direction."

"The relevance of 'Hammer' also lies in its layers," she added. "Yes, it's entertaining on the surface, but underneath that entertainment, there's a serious, thought-provoking subject matter. That's something I consider essential -- to confront the audience, to provoke reflection."

After the Seoul run, "Hammer" will travel to Busan from Nov. 21-22.

Alexander Ekman swings his 'Hammer' to break open the ego