Kyunghwa Hong
Root Dance Company Artistic Director, Hong Kyunghwa
Hong Kyunghwa (1982~), the Artistic Director of Root Dance Company (formerly known as Hong Kyung-hwa Contemporary Dance Company), is a choreographer and educator actively engaged in activities both in South Korea and internationally. Born in South Korea to a mother who studied music and a father who was a school principal, she grew up in an environment conducive to nurturing her artistic and educational talents. Starting dance at the age of 8, she became captivated by various forms including ballet, Korean traditional dance, and contemporary dance.
In 2001, she enrolled in the Dance Department at KyungHee University for formal education. She obtained her Master’s degree in Dance from KyungHee University in 2008 and completed her Ph.D. in Dance from the Department of Performing Arts at KyungHee University in 2019. During her senior years in university, she showcased her talent by winning prestigious awards at the most esteemed Dong-A Dance Competition in South Korea.
Her international journey began in 2007 when she participated as a dancer in a European tour, performing in Germany, Belgium, France, and Austria for more than 10 performances. Since then, she has participated in over 100 dance performances in Korea and has accumulated 54 choreography experiences since 2006. She has been selected as a choreographer for numerous international invitationals and residencies in countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Austria, Poland, Singapore, Lithuania, China, Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
Particularly noteworthy is her invitation to the Detroit Dance City Festival in 2016, where her work “Interaction” was showcased. Subsequently, in 2022, she was selected as a choreographer for South Korea and presented her choreographic work at the Detroit Institute in Arts. In 2023, she conducted an overseas residency project supported by the Korea Arts and Culture Support Association and organized by the Detroit Dance City Festival.
Educator Hong Kyunghwa
From 2009 to 2022, Hong Kyunghwa taught basic contemporary dance education to students at Deokwon School of Arts for 13 years. Simultaneously, from 2011 to 2023, she taught contemporary dance techniques, choreography, composition, improvisation, partnering, and dance theory to students majoring in contemporary dance at Kyung Hee University for 12 years.
In contemporary dance technique classes, she mainly focused on Horton and Cunningham techniques for body training, while in creative and improvisational classes, she based her teachings on Gaga technique to cultivate movement expansion through imagination.
Since 2019, she has been developing and teaching the Root Method to students, a method inspired by the natural elements’ influence on the growth cycle of trees. This educational method aims to perceive the body as a part of nature using elements such as earth, wind, sun, energy, gravity, water, and air to activate bodily sensations and develop organic and creative movements through flexible thinking.
Additionally, her qualifications as a Level 1 Dance Instructor, Level 1 Correct Posture Body Instructor, and Line Dance Instructor have greatly assisted her in teaching students. Building on her experiences, she began teaching as a Visiting Faculty at the University of Michigan in the fall semester of 2023 for one year.
She has been appointed as a judge for various dance competitions and choreography competitions both domestically and internationally, including the International Dance Competition and National Dance Competition.