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“Etoile Ballet Gala 2010” will bring together stars from the ballet and classical music scene. From left, ballet dancers Kim Yong-geol, Seo Hee and Kim Ji-young, and pianist Kim Sun-wook. The performance will be held Jan. 12-13 at Seoul Arts Center. / Courtesy of Vincero |
By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
Some of Korea's best ballet dancers and classical musicians are getting together for a special performance in January titled ``Etoile Ballet Gala 2010.'' ``Etoile'' means ``star'' in French.
Featuring top ballet dancers such as Kim Yong-geol, Kim Ji-young and Seo Hee, the gala will offer visitors a fresh and memorable start to the year with ballet and classical music.
Unlike contemporary gala shows where the dancers move to recorded music, ``Etoile'' offers live music by pianist Kim Sun-wook and violinist Jang Yoo-jin.
``It is meaningful that we get a chance to stand on stage with musicians and we believe we will be able to offer a distinctive performance for ballet and classical music fans,'' Kim Ji-young, the principal dancer at the Korea National Ballet Company (KNBC), said.
Vincero, one of Korea's leading performance companies, is celebrating its 15th anniversary next year, and in order to do something extra special, it is planning to run the show for three consecutive years.
Vincero took the example of past Japanese gala performances, where Japanese fans had the chance to watch talented ballet dancers from famous troupes around the world. In order to bring the local audience closer to ballet, Vincero arranged the special event with live classical music.
Kim Yong-geol will put his most recent work, ``La Promenade,'' on stage for the first time. The 15-minute work is based on Kim's life in France, and will offer the chic style of French ballet for local fans.
Meanwhile, KNBC's Kim will wow fans with ``The Dying Swan,'' ``Voorbijgegaan'' and the pas de deux from ``Don Quixote.''
"The Dying Swan" was made by Mikhail Fokine for Russia's legendary ballerina Anna Pavlova in 1905. The two-minute ballet follows the last moments in the life of a swan, and influenced the modern interpretations of movements in Tchaikovsky's ``Swan Lake'' and many other famous works.
Seo Hee and her partner Jose Carreno from the American Ballet Theater (ABT) will perform ``Overgrown Path,'' by famed choreographer Jiri Kylian, and the pas de deux from ``Le Corsaire.''
Along with Korea's big ballet stars, equally talented dancers from Japan will also grace the stage. Korean-Japanese ballerina Yasumura Kazue will team up with dancer Yusuku Osozawa and offer two works while two dancers from a famed European troupe will also join the cast.
Kim Yong-geol, 35, was the first Korean to join the Paris Opera Ballet and became the first Asian soloist of the renowned troupe. The dancer returned to Korea for good last July to work as a professor at the Korea National University of Arts.
Kim Ji-young, 31, also returned home this year after spending seven years at the Dutch National Ballet. She is currently one of Korea's best ballerinas and is considered to have all the three prerequisites to become a successful dancer: technique, artistic talent and physical traits.
The youngest, Seo Hee, 23, is currently a member of the corps de ballet at the prestigious (ABT), and recently appeared as Juliet for the troupe's ``Romeo and Juliet.''
Pianist Kim, 21, has won major international piano competitions throughout his career, including the 2004 Ettlingen in Germany, the 2005 Clara Haskil in Switzerland and the 2006 Leeds as Asia's first and the world's youngest winner in 40 years.
``Etoile Ballet Gala 2010'' will be on stage Jan. 12-13 at Seoul Arts Center. Tickets cost from 30,000 to 150,000 won. For more information, visit www.vincero.co.kr or call (02) 599-5743.
sanghee@koreatimes.co.kr
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