By Honorary Reporter Myrtle Iris Villaraza from Philippines

Puppeteer Lee Dae-yeol of Long & Short, based in the Seoul suburb of Gimpo, Gyeonggi-do Province, creates nonverbal performances that connect cultures by blending puppetry, object theater and clowning.

In 2019, his show "A Show with Strings" won the grand prize at the Chuncheon Puppet Festival of Korea. This year from May 8-13, he performed his show eight times at the Ottawa Children's Festival in Canada through a collaboration with the Korean Cultural Centre in the Canadian capital.

Lee has performed at festivals worldwide including those in Korea, Japan, Canada, Belgium and the Czech Republic. He received an award at the 2023 ASSITEJ Korea Winter Festival and has lectured at Seoul Institute of Arts.

In an email interview conducted from May 13-17, he said he started off as a yo-yo performer.

"I discovered yo-yo in middle school and became completely absorbed," he said. "Our club would perform in the park on the last Saturday of each month. It wasn't formal, it was just taking turns doing yo-yo freestyle with playing music. The audience's applause sparked my dream of making this my career." 

Lee Dae-yeol, who went from yo-yo performer to puppeteer, uses string as his main artistic medium. (Lee Dae-yeol)

His exposure to arts festivals and other performers broadened his artistic horizons. "I wanted to be taken more seriously as an artist," he said, noting how yo-yo performers are often not considered legitimate artists.

This led him to the theater school Ecole Phillippe Gaulier of France in 2016, where he studied theater and clown acting. 

"A Show with Strings," Lee's signature creation, uses no words yet connects with audiences across cultures. (Lee Dae-yeol)

Returning to Korea, Lee combined his training in France with his experience in string manipulation to create "A Show with Strings." Though initially unfamiliar with puppetry, he gradually incorporated more puppet elements into his performances.

"When creating 'A Show with Strings,' I wanted to move beyond yo-yos," he said. "But I needed something familiar to anchor me while exploring new territory. Given my background, string was the natural choice."

The show debuted in 2016 at the National Theater Company of Korea's A Midsummer Night's Little Theater. The following year, Lee launched his company Long & Short, where he serves as the sole writer, director and performer. 

This is a scene from "A Show with Strings" performed at this year's Ottawa Children's Festival in Canada (Curtis Perry and Ottawa Children's Festival)

Lee said his most memorable performance was at Montreal's Festival International de Casteliers.

"I worried whether Western audiences would understand siltteugi (cat's cradle), which is familiar in Korea and Japan," he said. "But the show resonated perfectly, earning praise from festival artists and producers. It gave me confidence in the universal appeal of my work."

To Lee, performing is about sharing beauty rather than a message. "If audiences simply enjoy the show and find it beautiful, that's my greatest reward," he said.

msjeon22@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.