When Zen dance came to Capital
18 Dec 2012 7:20 AM IST
Artistes from India and South Korea recently combined martial arts forms with traditional dance techniques to showcase a unique art form that was both entertaining and healing, on the sidelines of a three-day international seminar, a part of Asia Project, in the Capital.
Among the art forms showcased were Zen dance and Son Mudo from South Korea and Thangta, the martial arts form of Manipur.
‘I developed this art form (Zen dance) in New York in 1972. I combined meditation and dance and created a dance meditation technique,’ said Sun Ock Lee, who performed with partner Won Il Lee at the IIC auditorium. According to Sun, the goal of both martial arts as well as meditation is to bring the mind and the body together and to free life from suffering.
‘But before you can achieve that stage through this technique (Zen dance), you can increase your concentration, creativity and reduce stress level,’ she said.On Son Mudo, Sun Ock Lee said: ‘This art form was created by my teacher 85 years ago. It is all about harnessing the power of the mind and making the body follow the mind. It is very creative.’
‘This art form uses the Yin and Yang principle of Chinese, Korean and Japanese philosophy. A lot of opposites are used in it,’ she added. While Zen Dance and Son Mudo were popularised by Sun Ock Lee in Europe and America, she has been working for the last few years to popularise it across Asia.
The artiste also displayed Buddhist mudras (hand and wrist movements). ‘They are based on Tantric or Vajrayana Buddhism which was brought to Korea in the fourth century. There is a distinct difference between Buddhist mudras and the Hindu mudras’
Zen Dance and Son Mudo, according to Sun Ock Lee, also have powers of healing.
Among the art forms showcased were Zen dance and Son Mudo from South Korea and Thangta, the martial arts form of Manipur.
‘I developed this art form (Zen dance) in New York in 1972. I combined meditation and dance and created a dance meditation technique,’ said Sun Ock Lee, who performed with partner Won Il Lee at the IIC auditorium. According to Sun, the goal of both martial arts as well as meditation is to bring the mind and the body together and to free life from suffering.
‘But before you can achieve that stage through this technique (Zen dance), you can increase your concentration, creativity and reduce stress level,’ she said.On Son Mudo, Sun Ock Lee said: ‘This art form was created by my teacher 85 years ago. It is all about harnessing the power of the mind and making the body follow the mind. It is very creative.’
‘This art form uses the Yin and Yang principle of Chinese, Korean and Japanese philosophy. A lot of opposites are used in it,’ she added. While Zen Dance and Son Mudo were popularised by Sun Ock Lee in Europe and America, she has been working for the last few years to popularise it across Asia.
The artiste also displayed Buddhist mudras (hand and wrist movements). ‘They are based on Tantric or Vajrayana Buddhism which was brought to Korea in the fourth century. There is a distinct difference between Buddhist mudras and the Hindu mudras’
Zen Dance and Son Mudo, according to Sun Ock Lee, also have powers of healing.
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