[REVIEW] Seoul dance troupe's contemporary take on shamanic rituals

Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre’s new work, Gut: Whispering Steps, turns Korean shamanic ritual into a contemporary meditation on suffering, healing and self-liberation. Artistic director Yun Hea-joung says the piece argues that people must pursue blessings through their own body and will, not wait for rescue. The production also seeks to reclaim gut from colonial-era stigma. It runs from Thursday to Sunday at the Sejong Center’s Grand Theater.

The work unfolds through five variations of tears tied to obangsaek, the five cardinal colors in Korean tradition: black, yellow, blue, red and white.

The final mugamseogi scene features 45 performers, divided into groups of nine in each of the five colors.

Composer Lee Hanuri reworked the rhythms of Seoul gut and the sounds of ritual objects into a contemporary score.

Pansori performer Kim Yul-hee joined the production, while Ki Moo-gan served as co-choreographer and performer.

Film director Jang Cheol-soo contributed cinematic media art for the stage.

Published Sep 11, 2026 4:44 pm KST

Dancers attempt to bring out meditation, salvation through 'Gut: Whispering Steps'

Dancers from the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre perform at a press preview of the company’s new work, “Gut: Whispering Steps,” at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre’s new work, “Gut: Whispering Steps,” turned little-known shamanic rituals in Korea into a contemporary meditation on suffering, pain and the difficult work of saving oneself.

Known as "gut," shamanic ritual was a communication tool between the living and the deceased. A shaman served as a helper in the communication. Usually, descendants sought health, luck and suffering-free life from their ancestors.

Gut from Seoul and neighboring regions, in particular, offers a unique session called "mugamseogi," during which a client gets dressed like a shaman and performs a spontaneous dance.

The premise was simple but forceful: Blessings were not merely granted to those who wait for them. They must be pursued through one’s body and will. That became the source of inspiration for the dance production.

The new work, created by Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre's artistic director Yun Hea-joung, unfolds the pain, memories, healing and liberation of human life through five variations of tears, each tied to “obangsaek,” the five cardinal colors in Korean tradition: black, yellow, blue, red and white.

“The key to escaping pain and anguish is in one’s own heart,” Yun said during a press preview, Thursday. “You cannot remain helpless, waiting for an external absolute being to descend and rescue you from suffering.”

Yun also said the work seeks to reclaim gut from the stigma attached to it during the Japanese colonial period, when it was disparaged as superstition.

“Gut and shamans were part of our ancestors’ communal life,” she said. “When something happened, people held a gut, brought food and shared it. It was an everyday gathering that became a festival.”

The stage begins in black tears. Dancers appear as bodies trapped by painful memories move through a dark landscape of emotional weight. Yellow tears bring awareness of one’s own wounds, while blue tears create distance from memory and open a small space for hope.

By the red-tears section, suppressed emotions burst outward through more forceful movement and sound. White tears, in the final stage, arrive as a state of calm after pain has been fully confronted.

The most striking scene comes in the final chapter: 45 performers, divided into groups of nine in each of the five colors, fill the stage for the collective "mugamseogi." Their individual acts of release expand into a communal dance of liberation.

Dancers from the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre perform at a press preview of the company’s new work, “Gut: Whispering Steps,” at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, Thursday. Newsis

The performance closes without promising a final escape from life’s burdens. As dancers reveal their individual movement and leave the stage, a shaman gathers the garments they leave behind, suggesting that life goes on.

Making his first foray into dance music, composer Lee Hanuri reworked the rhythms of Seoul gut and the sounds of ritual objects into a contemporary score.

Pansori performer Kim Yul-hee joined the production, along with dancer Ki Moo-gan from Mnet’s 2024 dance-survival competition who served as co-choreographer and performer.

Film director Jang Cheol-soo, whose credits include “Bedevilled” (2010) and “Secretly, Greatly” (2013), contributed cinematic media art for the stage.

A dancer from the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre performs at a press preview of the company’s new work, “Gut: Whispering Steps,” at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, Thursday. Newsis

“In the end, we have to wipe our own tears,” Yun said. “I hope audiences find a little courage and comfort to soothe their own hearts and move forward.”

“Gut: Whispering Steps” runs from Thursday to Sunday at the Sejong Center’s Grand Theater.

首尔都市舞蹈剧院的新作《肠：低语的舞步》将韩国萨满教仪式转化为对苦难、疗愈和自我解放的当代冥想。艺术总监尹熙贞表示，该作品旨在表明人们必须通过自身的身体和意志去追求福祉，而不是等待救赎。该剧也力图打破殖民时代对“肠”的污名化。演出将于周四至周日在世宗文化中心大剧场上演。

作品通过与五方色（韩国传统中的五种基本颜色：黑色、黄色、蓝色、红色和白色）相关的五种眼泪变化展开。

最后的木偶戏场景由 45 名表演者组成，分为五组，每组九人，分别代表五种颜色。

作曲家李韩日将首尔肠鸣的节奏和仪式物品的声音融入到当代乐谱中。

盘索里表演者金律熙加入了制作，而奇武干担任联合编舞和表演者。

电影导演张哲洙为舞台剧贡献了电影媒体艺术。

发布于2026年9月11日下午4:44（韩国标准时间）

舞者们试图通过“内心：低语的舞步”来展现冥想和救赎。

周四，首尔都市舞蹈剧院的舞者们在首尔世宗文化会馆为该团新作《肠：低语的舞步》举行了媒体预演。图片由世宗文化会馆提供。

首尔都市舞蹈剧院的新作品《肠：低语的脚步》将韩国鲜为人知的萨满教仪式转化为对苦难、痛苦和自我救赎的艰难工作的当代冥想。

这种被称为“灵魂占卜”（gut）的萨满仪式是生者与逝者沟通的工具。萨满在沟通中扮演着辅助者的角色。通常，后代会向祖先祈求健康、好运和无苦的生活。

特别是来自首尔及周边地区的 Gut 提供了一种名为“mugamseogi”的独特疗程，在疗程中，顾客会装扮成萨满，并进行即兴舞蹈。

其理念简单却有力：福泽并非唾手可得，而是需要通过自身的身心和意志去追求。这成为了舞蹈作品的灵感来源。

这部由首尔都市舞蹈剧院艺术总监尹熙贞创作的新作品，通过五种不同的眼泪，展现了人类生活的痛苦、记忆、治愈和解放，每一种眼泪都与韩国传统中的五种基本颜色“五方色”——黑色、黄色、蓝色、红色和白色——联系在一起。

“摆脱痛苦和悲伤的关键在于自己的内心，”云在周四的媒体预览会上说。“你不能一直无助地等待一个外在的绝对存在降临，将你从苦难中拯救出来。”

Yun还表示，这项作品旨在消除日本殖民时期人们赋予肠胃的污名，当时肠胃被贬称为迷信。

“肠衣和萨满是我们祖先社群生活的一部分，”她说。“当发生什么事时，人们会拿着肠衣，带来食物，然后分享。这原本是日常的聚会，后来演变成了节日。”

舞台以黑色泪水开场。舞者们如同被痛苦回忆困住的躯体，在沉重的情感阴影中穿行。黄色泪水唤起人们对自身伤痛的觉察，而蓝色泪水则拉开与记忆的距离，并开启一丝希望。

到了“红泪”阶段，被压抑的情绪通过更强烈的动作和声音爆发出来。而“白泪”则在最后阶段出现，代表着痛苦被彻底克服后的一种平静状态。

最引人注目的一幕出现在最后一章：45名表演者分成五组，每组九人，分别代表五种颜色，挤满舞台，进行集体“mugamseogi”表演。他们各自的释放行为扩展成一场集体解放之舞。

周四，首尔都市舞蹈剧院的舞者们在首尔世宗文化会馆为该团新作《肠：低语的舞步》举行了媒体预演。

演出结束时，并未承诺能彻底摆脱生活的重担。舞者们各自展现舞姿，离开舞台，一位萨满收集起他们留下的衣物，暗示着生活仍在继续。

作曲家李韩日首次涉足舞曲领域，将首尔肠鸣的节奏和仪式物品的声音融入到当代乐曲中。

盘索里表演者金律熙加入了制作团队，还有来自 Mnet 2024 年舞蹈生存比赛的舞者奇武干，他担任联合编舞和表演者。

曾执导过《恶鬼缠身》（2010）和《伟大的隐藏者》（2013）等影片的电影导演张哲洙为舞台剧贡献了电影媒体艺术。

周四，首尔都市舞蹈剧院的一名舞者在首尔世宗文化会馆举行的新作品《肠：低语的舞步》媒体预演会上表演。

“到头来，我们还是得自己擦干眼泪，”云说。“我希望观众们能从中获得一些勇气和慰藉，抚平自己受伤的心灵，继续前行。”

《肠子：低语的脚步》将于周四至周日在世宗中心大剧院上演。