About Palette Exchange
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About Palette Exchange *
Can the live exchange of raw energy in a freestyle dance jam session break down walls between cultures?
Drawing upon rituals of circle dancing, cyphering and jam sessions in street dance as practice-exchange models, this project invites 5 Korean and 5 Australian dancers to explore this provocation through a reciprocal cultural exchange program.
From hip hop to breaking, vogue femme, Bodyweather, Pangalay, contemporary dance, somatic practices and more, this diverse cohort will work through the messiness of intercultural collaboration together.
Led by Palette Session - a cross-cultural dance collective in Sydney and Seoul.
Auspiced by Auspicious Arts Project.
Supported by Australia-Korea Foundation, Creative Australia and our generous crowdfunding supporters.
Held in Seoul for two weeks in November 2025
Held in Sydney for two weeks in May 2026
PALETTE SESSION KOREA X PALETTE SESSION AUSTRALIA CO-HOST A FREESTYLE DANCE WORKSHOP AT THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE
7 SEPT 2025
VIDEO: GERARD CABELLON
Date: 23 July 2025
Time: 6:30pm - 9:30pm
Location: Zoom
Attendance:
Dylan, Gerard, Reina, Caleb, Cassie
Chaedo, Haru, Nabi, Myosu, Ava
In July 2025, palette session held an online freestyle dance jam session for 5 Australian and 5 Korean dancers.
We paired each Australian dancer with a Korean dancer to connect, experiment and learn from one another.
The exercise followed this order:
Person A dances
Person B observes and formulates a response to person a’s movement.
Person A observes and formulates a response to person b movement.
The dancers recorded their freestyle improvisations which was stitched together to make these 5 videos.
Date: 7 SEPTEMBER 2025
Time: 11pm - 1am
Location: Haymarket, Sydney
Attendance: Chaedo & Dylan
Purpose of the exchange program:
Individual: Through this exchange program, what do you want to feel / experience / gain as an individual?
Friendship: What is a way to become closer to you?
Friendship: What are some things to be aware about when it comes to you?
Community: Through this exchange program, what do you want to do as a crew member of Palette Session?
Cultural exchange: When you encounter another culture, what kind of barriers do you face? (e.g. personality, language, distance, culture, another reason)
Values of the exchange program:
Break down walls between relationships
Be understanding and patient.
An effort / attitude to learn another language
Relationships amongst friends
Results of the exchange program:
Archives
Memories
Friends, relationships, international networks
Future collaborations / driving force, impetus
Long-term dreams
Global palette session chapters in Tokyo, Auckland, Singapore, Toronto, etc.
Exchange schedule [Seoul]
Date: 13 - 27 November 2025
Icebreaker over food
Lab: twice a week
Jam session with local Korean dance community
Party with dance performances,
CHAEDO AND DYLAN CO-DESIGNING PALETTE EXCHANGE THROUGH A COLLABORATIVE MAPPING EXERCISE TO ESTABLISH SHARED OBJECTIVES AND VALUES.
DYLAN IS GREEN.
CHAEDO IS PINK.
Sept 7, 2025
Photo: Dylan & Chaedo
Date: 13-28 NOVEMBER 2025
Location: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
Attendance:
Dylan, Gerard, Reina, Caleb, Cassie
Chaedo, Haru, Nabi, Myosu, Ava
In November 2025, the entire cohort met in Seoul for two weeks of dance, conversations, research and networking.
We ran a jam session at a Korean temple in Hongdae.
We ran a party for 80 dancers.
We ran a jam session for 30 dancers.
We ran 2 labs for the cohort.
We entered a breaking battle and a vogue ball.
We grappled with the awkwardness of real-time conversations in English / Korean mediated through Chat GPT, and experiment with how breakers, contemporary dancers and voguers can dance together.
Grounded in mutual curiosity, patience and respect for the artforms we practice, our exchange reimagined the circle, the cypher and the jam as liminal spaces where people can meet and see into each other’s heart without words.
Here are some special moments
Date: 18 MAY - 1 JUNE, 2026
Location: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
Attendance:
Dylan, Gerard, Reina, Caleb, Cassie
Chaedo, Haru, Nabi, Myosu, Ava
In May 2026, the entire cohort met in Sydney for another two weeks of dance, conversations, research and connection.
Together, we ran an experimental dance festival at the Sydney Opera House and Brand X called Ki 氣.
3 days. 250 dancers.
A 1v1 experimental dance battle and jam session
5 sold-out masterclasses
1 forum
We also pulled together a 20-minute performance about Palette Session’s journey - from its inception in a university dance studio in Jeonju to its migration across oceans to Sydney. This was performed for the opening night of the Burwood Art Prize.
Coming off the back of our 2-week lab in Seoul in Nov 2025, that feeling of mutual goodwill, patience and warmth came back instantly when we greeted the Korean team at Sydney airport.
We jammed together within the intimacy of the Brand X studios to become reacquainted with one another.
We chatted till 5am over drinks, karaoke and ramen.
We shared our frustrations with each other through Dylan as a translator, Chat GPT and Papago.
And we exchange heartfelt messages and tokens of appreciation to each other.
Here are some moments.
