In June 2020, the collaboration between Restless Dance Theatre, an Australian company working with both artists with and without disabilities, and the Department of Korean Music at Seoul National University, launched as part of the Connect2Abilities international project at the University of South Australia, stands as a noteworthy example of innovative artistic exchange during the COVID-19 era.

 

Originally, a project combining  was planned for April 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the performance was postponed. Instead, the teams adapted by sharing their work remotely through a new online platform. The first result of this collaboration, Dialogue for Six Strings, was introduced at the International Music Week at Seoul National University in June 2020.

 

The exchange continued annually, leading to the creation of distinctive works such as Correlation in 2021 and Counterpoise in 2022. This collaboration involved Korea's 29dong Dance Company and various online dance workshops, exploring diverse directions, including compositions that responded improvisationally to choreography.

 

In 2022, the Korean performance group visited Australia and presented a successful performance. The following year, in 2023, the Australian dance troupe traveled to Korea, culminating the four-year exchange project with a joint performance that was captured in the dance film Counterpoise. The entire collaboration was documented in the film Dancing Against the Odds, created by Connect2Abilities at the University of South Australia, and will be featured at international film festivals.

 

This unique collaboration, which successfully spanned four years despite numerous challenges, was supported by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Australia-Korea Foundation, the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange. It highlights significant artistic exchanges that bridge boundaries such as artistic genres, cultural differences between Australia and Korea, and cultural perspectives on disability and non-disability, marking a notable achievement in the post-COVID era.