O‑Jak ’26 Once Upon a Time

Saturday, November 14, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, November 15, 2026 at 3:30 PM
Broadway Performance Hall, Seattle

A special program of Margolis Arts Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Once Upon a Time begins with a mother reading a storybook to her child. As each page turns, they enter a new world where dance brings timeless stories to life. Ballet, contemporary dance, Korean traditional arts, Chinese dance, Taekwondo, K‑Pop, and original music come together in one shared journey across cultures and generations.

O‑Jak has become one of the Pacific Northwest’s most dynamic and inclusive festivals, connecting communities through art, dance, and shared imagination.

Official 2026 Festival Poster Artwork

EVAN (Choi Seok Hyun / 최석현)
Twelve Zodiac – Tiger, 2023
Mixed media on canvas
80.3 × 80.3 cm

🌟 Supported by Art Love Salon, Conru Art Foundation, Sound Transit, the Consulate General of Korea in Seattle, and Gallery B612.

Gold Sponsors: Chan Seattle, GolMok Market Bar, Occhi Belli, and Soul to Seoul

Silver Sponsors: Raku Shabu Shabu Seattle, ShareTea Chinatown, and Dark Arts Software

ACT 1 – The O‑Jak Bridge – Gyun‑woo and Jing‑nyuh

오작교 – 견우와 직녀

Inspired by the Korean folktale of Gyun‑woo and Jing‑nyuh, Act 1 follows two lovers separated by the Milky Way who reunite only once a year. On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, crows and magpies form the O‑Jak Bridge across the sky, creating a path for their reunion. Korean traditional dance, ballet, contemporary movement, and original music bring this story of love, separation, and hope to life.

• MiYoung Margolis Dance Collective – Korean contemporary fusion

• Evergreen City Ballet – Firebird Variation, a classical ballet solo coordinated by Nathan Cook

• Sound Ballet Conservatory – An original ballet inspired by Gyun‑woo and Jing‑nyuh, with young dancers forming the O‑Jak Bridge

• Independent Seattle Ballet Project – Bird Bridge, an original classical and contemporary pointe ensemble featuring Esther Gowin, Juliana Wright, Sana Tepley, Cameron Matsui, Emma Meade, Chisanna Suzuki, and others

Music Collaboration

• Donald J. Stewart – Original music composed for the MiYoung Margolis Dance Collective prologue

ACT 2 – Timeless Tales, Reimagined

명작 이야기, 춤으로 다시 읽다

As the mother turns each page, a new story unfolds. Familiar tales, cultural traditions, and original creations are reimagined through ballet, contemporary movement, Chinese dance, and theatrical jazz. Each performance becomes a short chapter in the mother and child’s journey through the storybook.

• Equipoise Dance – Contemporary dance

• Moonlight Chinese Dance by Amy Sun – Traditional Chinese dance

• ARC Dance Productions / ARC Ballet School – Students perform Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker

• Evergreen City Ballet – Sleeping Beauty Variation, performed by the same soloist featured in Act 1’s Firebird Variation and coordinated by Nathan Cook

• MiYoung Margolis Dance Collective – World premiere of a new work marking Tatiana Linardopoulou’s choreographic debut

• Coalescence Dance Company by Brittany Parker – Theatrical Broadway jazz inspired by the storytelling theme of Once Upon a Time

ACT 3 – When Tigers Smoked Pipes – Korean Fairy Tales

호랑이 담배 피우던 시절 – 한국 이야기

“When tigers smoked pipes” is a traditional Korean expression meaning “a long, long time ago.” Much like “once upon a time” in English, it opens the door to a world of folktales, imagination, and wonder. Act 3 celebrates Korean culture through pansori storytelling, traditional Korean dance, Taekwondo, and K‑Pop, connecting Korea’s past with its vibrant present.

• Sullae Creative Art Company / 예술공동체 술래 – Korean traditional music and storytelling from Suwon and Hwaseong, featuring pansori, gayageum byeongchang, geomungo, piri, folk song, and jangdan

• Morado Korean Dance – Traditional Korean dance

• Bellevue Taekwondo – MooHan (Infinity) Taekwondo Demo Team, a nationally recognized martial arts performance group