By Honorary Reporter Petrosyan Gohar from Armenia

Video= Big Hit Entertainment

Photo= MN Dance Company

K-pop super group BTS put out an art film for its song "Black Swan" as well as an official music video. The former was produced in collaboration with MN Dance Company of Slovenia. The company's two founders and artistic directors Michal Rynia and Nastja Bremec Rynia discussed their company and collaboration with the group in this interview.

Please tell us about yourselves and your company.

Michal: We are the founders and choreographers of MN Dance Company. We have both been dedicated to dance since childhood. I am originally from Poland and started out as a hip-hop dancer, taking part in many competitions.

Nastja: And he won the title of world champion over five times.

Michal: Nastja is from Slovenia and started with classical ballet and contemporary dance. Our paths crossed at the Codarts University for the Arts in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where we met and both graduated from. Now we live and create in Slovenia.

Nastja: Last year, we celebrated the company's tenth anniversary.

How did you get involved with BTS?

Michal: Big Hit Entertainment (the group's management agency) contacted us in October last year and asked if we could do the choreography for BTS's new single. We don't know how Big Hit found us but we assume it was through our YouTube channel. We prepared our choreography and sent it to the agency for review. Big Hit liked it and the next thing we knew, we were in Los Angeles filming the video in December that year.

How long did it take to rehearse the choreography?

Michal: We started on the choreography as soon as we were assigned it in October. I finished the choreography pretty fast. We had from October to December to rehearse it.

Nastja: We are the choreographers of our company's works. Usually, we also both dance in our projects but since Michal was injured at that time, he was more responsible for the choreography and the creative process.

Who are your group members?
Nastja: Our group members and their number vary depending on project but we usually cast in our works international dancers. We hold each year international auditions to choose dancers for specific projects.

Michal: For the BTS music video, we cast beside Nastja six talented dancers suitable for the choreography from the education program that our company holds.

Did you meet BTS members?
Nastja: We didn't meet the group in person, but would've been very happy to have done so.

Michal: While working on the film, we concentrated on our work and respected all they did.

Any plans to work with other K-pop acts?
Nastja: Our aim is to create dance performances and choreography for the theater, artists and dance films. We look forward to what the future will bring.

chaey0726@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.