A group of young and fresh choreographers from different backgrounds and nationalities created an original work reflecting their experience of a 6-month dance residency program in Seoul from May to October 2007. Thai music and traditional dance, Indonesia’s Flores dance, contemporary dance, and Mexican pop music collapsed into a work that explores cutting edge ideas and a new concept of multi-national collaboration.

The production reflected thoughts and ideas on “what is the ‘contemporaryness / contemporaneity’ of the third world contemporary dance and performing art?”, and was also inspired by Korean traditional dance, including Chaesang Sogo Choom, Bongsang Mask Dance, and Drum Dance. MATA was jointly choreographed and performed by Maria Aprianti (Indonesia), Joey Chua (Singapore), LEE Young-il (Korea), Janice Platt (Mexico), Anucha Sumaman (Thailand) and Daniel Yeung (Hong Kong). This project was initiated as a part of Triple Cultural Partnership Initiative 2007, co-organized by the CID-UNESCO Korea Chapter and supported by AAPAF and the Korea’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. 

MATA made its world premiere at the Seoul International Dance Festival 2007, in Doosan Art Center’s Space 111. It then toured to Shanghai (19 October), Singapore (23 October), Solo (26 October) and Surabaya (28 October).