On May 7, an eye-catching hologram of eight dancers appeared in the “Higher Power” live performance video, a new single released by the famous British rock band Coldplay. Few weeks later, the song’s official dance video featured the Korean dance crew, Ambiguous Dance Company, also known as the 21st century goblins. In the video, members of the Ambiguous Dance Company stood out as front dancers, demonstrating their endeavor, individuality, and talent without hesitation. Each member exhibited passion and competence in dancing, hence communicating with the public through imposing moves.

Ambiguous Dance Company is a Korean dance team composed of eight members, including choreographer Kim Bo-ram. Paradoxically, the word ambiguous in the team’s name originated from the members’ confidence in reaching for their goals, according to Noblesse, South Korea’s high-end lifestyle magazine. To free themselves from restrictions of distinguishing dance genres, they decided to call themselves ambiguous. The greatness of these unfettered souls has recently gained public interest through their collaboration with Korea Tourism Organization and other well-known artists, such as Leenalchi and Coldplay.

The dance crew’s originality was what captured Coldplay’s attention prior to their collaboration. According to Kim’s interview with The Dong-A Ilbo, Chris Martin, a member of Coldplay, hoped to feature the dancers as the leading role of the music video, also leaving the choreography entirely on their ideas. As his desire, the crew’s originality in “Higher Power” quickly induced public interest.

The dancers’ unrestricted, spontaneous moves in the music video produce a sense of breaking free from the repetitive, stifling daily routines. Instead of trying to accurately dance to planned movements, members of the Ambiguous Dance Company improvise their dance moves, following along the music’s natural flow and vividly expressing the joy of freedom. Their lively, energetic steps indicate freedom itself, evoking enjoyment among the viewers and encouraging them to follow the motions. Furthermore, in alignment with Coldplay’s intention to awaken an individuals’ capacity, or higher power, vibrant moves of the dancers successfully impose powerful and passionate sensations to the music video.

Moreover, using places around Seoul, Korea as its stage, Ambiguous Dance Company’s creative choreography accentuates the beauty of Korea and contributes to tourism promotion. Dancing in classical market alleys highlights Korea’s traditional aspects, while the glittering city lights scattered behind each member display the modern features of urban areas. Despite the absence of fancy stage equipment, each member’s dance performance reflects great synergy between the people and the setting. Extraordinary combinations of various designs and colors of clothing also boost the futuristic sense of Coldplay’s music, as well as imprint the dance company’s performance in the audience’s minds. As a result, the capability of dancing without the constraints on setting and clothing not only contributes to the uniqueness of the music video, but also indicates the strength of ambiguity, one of the biggest features of the dance crew.

As seen in recent projects, Ambiguous Dance Company’s ingenuity emerges from its distinct interpretation of dancing. Members of the crew believe music can be the most beautiful and honest language, or a communication tool, in human society. Dancing accompanies one’s freedom of expressing emotions, thoughts, and ultimately one’s identity. According to Kim’s interview with Noblesse, the first step to dancing is to play an exciting song and simply move your body along with it. As Kim points out, great performance does not require sophisticated techniques or professional training sessions. Instead, naturally falling into the rhythms of the music is what dancing really is.

Ambiguous Dance Company’s journey continues even during the pandemic situation. On September 1, they performed “Fever” at the 2021 Dancers Unison Festival in the Seongnam Art Center Opera House. Performance “Fever” exhibits exciting and elegant choreography to the sounds of taepyeongso sinawi, a folk instrumental ensemble played with a wind instrument, and taryeong, a musical tune developed during the Joseon Dynasty. The crew members will also perform at their Spirit Mix concert in November to show the audience that dancing is the most primitive yet honest tool of communication.