Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
Korean National Ballet to present Balanchine's 'Jewels'
Members of the Korean National Ballet rehearse “Jewels” choreographed by George Balanchine in this undated photo. Courtesy of Korean National Ballet
By Park Ji-won
By Park Ji-won
Poster for the ballet “Jewels” / Courtesy of Korean National Ballet
The Korean National Ballet (KNB) will showcase the full-length George Balanchine's “Jewels” for the first time in Korea.
The KNB led by artistic director Kang Sue-jin will premiere the ballet choreographed by legendary choreographer and dancer Balanchine at the Seoul Arts Center from Oct. 20 to 24.
The work consists of three acts with three different composers to express each jewel; Emeralds, or the first stage, is set to the music of Gabriel Faure; Rubies, or the second stage, to the music of Stravinsky; and Diamonds, or the third stage, to music by Tchaikovsky. The choreographer came up with the dance performance inspired by the artistry of jewelry designer Claude Arpels.
It is the dancing of divertissement, which is a show of dancers' skill in a performance without advancing any plot or character development.
“Of course, I have always liked jewels; after all, I am an Asian, from Georgia in the Caucasus. I like the color of gems, the beauty of stones, and it was wonderful to see how our costume workshop, under Karinska's direction, came so close to the quality of real stones ― which were of course too heavy for the dancers to wear!” Balanchine once said of the ballet, according to the George Balanchine Trust website.
Leading dancers of the dance company will perform the skillful choreography. For the Emeralds stage, principal dancers are Shin Seung-won-Kim Ki-wan and Kim Li-hoe-Park Jong-seok. For the Rubies stage, principal dancers Park Seul-gi-Heo and Seo-myeong, and Park Ye-eun and soloist Ha Ji-seok will partner with each other respectively. For the Diamonds stage, principal dancers Kim Li-hoe-Park and Jong-seok; soloist Han Na-rae and principal dancer Kim Ki-wan; and soloist Joung Eun-young and principal dancer Lee Jae-woo will perform in pairs.
The Korean Symphony Orchestra will accompany the dancers conducted by James Tuggle, a conductor with expertise in ballet.