Choreographer views life as a marathon to prioritize personal rhythm

During an interview on Mnet's 'Street World Fighter: Directors' War', a choreographer explained that his marathon-themed performance serves as an homage to the Boston Marathon, using dancers' breathing to convey that no one runs alone.

A choreographer has shared a philosophy of viewing life as a marathon, aiming to manifest the value of moving forward to the end through one's own rhythm rather than focusing on visible achievements.

In an interview revealed through the 9th episode of Mnet's 'Street World Fighter: Directors' War', the meaning behind "marathon"—the core theme of this performance—was discussed in detail. He revealed that he even finds personal comfort in the sport of marathon running due to its similarities to life.

The comfort of the marathon amidst worries of "having achieved the least"

The choreographer confessed his honest feelings regarding his position among the participants. Mentioning that other participants have achieved visible milestones such as Billboard choreography awards or Seoul Ban trophies, he admitted that despite having a longer career, he has not experienced the same level of achievement. He shared his candid thoughts, noting moments where he wondered, "I am older and have a longer career among the participants, but perhaps I have achieved the least?"

The marathon was what sustained him through these contemplations. He explained that the marathon resembles life in that it is a sport where one silently moves toward the finish line using their own breathing, even if visible achievements are not immediately apparent. He stated that he chose the marathon as the theme for this performance to return the comfort he gained from the sport through his own language on stage.

Homage to the Boston Marathon through stage breathing

This performance is directed as a performance homage to a scene from the Boston Marathon. He explained that he drew great strength from a scene where one runner, having collapsed due to exhausted legs, is helped up by another runner to run together. To convey the message that although everyone runs individually, they are never running alone, he is attempting a production that builds layers of encouraging voices, such as "You Can Do It," on stage.

In particular, the element of "breathing" plays a key role in this stage. He worked on transferring the breathing that a marathon runner uses to maintain their pace into the breathing of the dancers on stage. He noted that while the prologue video ends with a runner's inhalation, the actual performance is composed to begin with an exhalation, aiming to make those experiencing the music feel as though "they can do something."

Source: original video (YouTube)