'Ballet was all I had'
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Ballerino Lee Jae-woo
By Kwon Ji-youn
@jennajykwon
Ballerino Lee Jae-woo is back ― with style.
On April 11, he was promoted from a soliste (soloist) to a principal dancer of the Korea National Ballet (KNB), an unprecedented move in Korea.
His promotion came after he underwent knee surgery in July and spent the last few months going through rehabilitation.
“I still feel like I’m dreaming,” Lee told The Korea Times, Tuesday. “I remember tearing up upon hearing the news, which came when I was least expecting it.”
But Lee’s fortune hadn’t come without a price.
Just when he became determined to one day become a world renowned ballerino, he sustained a foot injury that had him wondering if he could continue his pursuit.
He spent a year enduring rehabilitation, tortured by the thought that he may never be able to dance again.
Lee had always loved to dance. As a child, he took lessons in Korean dance, modern dance and ballet, which wasn’t easy being 195 centimeters tall.
It was difficult to move gracefully, but as he grew stronger, he turned his shortcoming into a merit.
“The fact that I am tall and yet I have a command of all techniques is my greatest advantage,” Lee said. “And all my movements look bold.”
Lee began ballet lessons when he was five. His mother, who was the one who suggested he begin ballet lessons, told him to quit when Lee was a sixth grader.
“But I knew that ballet was all I had,” he said.
At 24, Lee seemed too young to be a principal dancer, but he showed great promise in a few of his achievements.
From 2009 to 2011, he won two silvers and a gold at the Dong-A Dance Competitions, and in 2010 won a silver in the junior ballet category at the Seoul International Dance Competition. He joined the KNB in 2009 and in 2011 made his leading-role debut as the prince in the “Nutcracker.”
Prior to the surprising announcement of his promotion, he had been the prince in the seasonal performance of the “Swan Lake.”
“Solistes lead small dance group techniques and sometimes take on solo roles,” Lee explained. “A principal dancer takes on starring roles.”
Lee’s achievement was the result of incessant practice and management. KNB dancers are required to clock in at 11 in the morning and leave at six. But Lee would remain at the studio to practice until after dark.
“And that’s how it’ll stay,” he said. “I need to make sure I don’t let KNB Director Kim Sue-jin down.”