UBC dancer wins prima ballerina award

Kim Na-eun, a principal dancer with the Universal Ballet Company

By Kwon Ji-youn

Kim Na-eun, a principal dancer with the Universal Ballet Company (UBC), was named Prima Ballerina by the Korea Ballet Association (KBA), Monday.

The awards ceremony, to take place at the Banyan Tree Club and Spa in Seoul tonight, acknowledges notable figures in dance who have contributed to the development of Korean ballet this year. It will be followed by a KBA year-end banquet.

Kim has been recognized for her appearances in the UBC’s productions of “Multiplicity: Forms of Silence and Emptiness,” “La Bayadere” and Graeme Murphy’s “Giselle.” She is a natural on the stage, known for her technique and expression that have illumined many other roles. Her repertoire includes both classical and contemporary dance, and her work, which also include “Swan Lake,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Don Quixote,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Nutcracker,” among others, have received steady critical acclaim.

In 2012, she took on the role of Juliet in the UBC’s premiere of Kenneth MacMillan’s “Romeo and Juliet,” and in 2014, played Cello in the premiere of Nacho Duato’s “Multiplicity.” This year, she was Giselle in Graeme Murphy’s “Giselle.”

Kim will perform alongside UBC soloist Kang Min-woo in the UBC’s production of “The Nutcracker” at the Universal Art Center running Dec. 18-31.