Star ballet dancers to put on gala show

Korean ballet dancers with overseas dance companies will join a gala show for the 2021 Ballet Festival Korea at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul, June 24-25.

More than 100 prominent ballet stars who perform on the international ballet scene have participated in the annual gala since its inception in 2001.

This year, organizers have invited dancers such as Lee Choong-hoon from the Dance Theater of Harlem in New York, Kim Seok-ju of the Boston Ballet, Lee Ju-ho of the Estonia Vanemuine Opera Ballet Theater, Lee Ji-yong of the Hessisches Staatsballett in Wiesbaden, Germany, Chung Hye-min of the Sine Qua Non Art Company in France, Yang Jong-ye of the Dairakudakan Company in Japan and Choi Yoo-jeong, a former member of the Paris Opera Ballet.

 

Yang Jong-ye will perform “Le Sacre du Printemps” (The Rite of Spring). Chung Hye-min will put on a solo performance of “Four Seasons: Meet/Meat” and a duo performance of “The Veil of Ignorance” with dancer Lee Ju-ho. Chung is the choreographer for both works.

Ballet dancers formerly with overseas ballet companies will also take to the stage for the gala event as well. Kim Yoo-mi, a former dancer of the Atlanta Ballet who currently heads her own dance company Yoomique Dance, will take part in the show. Park Jong-seok, former member of the Washington Ballet who is currently with the Korea National Ballet, Son You-hee and Lee Hyun-joon, previously with the Tulsa Ballet, and are now members of the Universal Ballet, will also participate at this year’s Ballet Festival Korea.

Park Jong-seok will be joined by Kim Ki-wan and Cho Yeon-jae of the KNB for a pas de trois from “Le Corsaire.” Lee Hyun-joon and Son You-hee will present a pas de deux from “Mirinaegil,” a new work by Brian Yoo.

Cho Ju-hyun, a professor at the Korea National University of Arts, who was a principal dancer at the Washington Ballet, will lead the show as artistic director. Chang Kwang-yul, head of International Performing Arts Project, is the producer.

Tickets for the gala show cost from 30,000 won to 80,000 won.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)