The 20th Seoul International Improvisation Dance Festival is to take place this month, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, as a precaution to prevent the spread of the virus, the festival’s performances and workshops will be held separately. 

Shows will be staged April 21-26 at the Arko Arts Theater in Daehangno, central Seoul. Workshops will take place June 28-30 at the Dancers’ Career Development Center in the same area.

As a safety measure, only 40 percent of the seats will be made available to ensure that sufficient distance is maintained between members of the audience. Also, some of the shows will be streamed online through streaming platforms Naver and YouTube.

This year, 150 artists from four countries are participating in the festival, including one dancer each from Singapore, Japan and China, who have been in South Korea for more than two months. More local artists are taking part this year, the organizers said, as many of the overseas artists who had planned to participate are not able to travel to Korea due to the travel bans imposed by most countries around the world.

“The whole world is facing the virus threat. In a crisis, however, art shines more,” Jang Gwang-yeol, artistic director of the festival, said. “I hope artists can prove that art is needed for the dignity of mankind.”

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)