The Korean National Ballet is set to perform "Season; Spring" in London this week.
The performance comes at the invitation of the Royal Ballet for the KNB to participate in the International Draft Works 2024, jointly hosted by the Royal Opera House and the Royal Ballet.
The KNB is scheduled to perform at the Linbury Theater, on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
The International Draft Works serves as a platform where the Royal Ballet, together with various international companies, presents a selection of recent works by emerging choreographic talents in the international dance scene.
This year, 10 choreographers from nine ballet companies, including the Royal Ballet, the Norwegian National Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet, the Scottish Ballet and Semperoper Dresden from Germany, are participating in the event.
"Season; Spring," choreographed by Lee Young-cheol, a ballet master of the KNB and a former principal dancer of the company, draws inspiration from the picturesque sight of cherry blossoms gracefully falling on a spring day. It is a delicate and lyrical piece that intertwines the elegant movements of ballet with live performances of "gayageum," a traditional 12-string zither, explained the KNB.
The piece premiered in 2019 during the fifth edition of the "KNB Movement Series." Launched in 2015 as a project for choreographic development, the series has brought forth the choreographic capabilities of KNB dancers. The ninth edition will be held in June.