Russian Ballet Master Brings Giselle
By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
Irek Mukhamedov, director of the Greek National Opera Ballet, has come to Korea to share his artistic views and training with the Korea National Ballet Company (KNBC).
At a press conference held at the Seoul Arts Center Monday, Mukhamedov appeared with Choi Tae-ji, artistic director of the KNBC. The two heads are planning to collaborate and work on the training of local dancers for their upcoming performance ``Giselle.''
``I'm here to help dancers deeply understand the role of Giselle. It's not about me but about Giselle and the company. I'm here as a coach and a teacher and I will do my best,'' Mukhamedov said.
The 48-year-old former dancer started his career at the Bolshoi Ballet School and danced his way up to become the principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet, the youngest in the troupe's history. Winning numerous awards, including the Hans Christian Anderson Prize, the Evening Standard Ballet Award and named Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Mukhamedov stressed the importance of understanding the ballet.
``The question is why rather than what or how. I want the dancers to deepen their thoughts and act more like a real human being. When we are on stage, we're not performing for ourselves but the audience. We have to pass the message through our body language. The more they understand (deeper) the better they will express themselves,'' he said.
The local ballet scene has seen a shift in performance venues, with many companies and troupes traveling to other local cities and the KNBC has been at the forefront of this.
``We will tour at least 10 local cities. I'm very happy that we are staging `Giselle,' the first time in six years. I am looking forward to a more dramatic version,'' Choi said.
The ballet master mentioned that unlike Korea, where more people are starting to appreciate ballet through various performances, workshops and classes, the European ballet scene was not doing well.
``We are losing the audience, their interest. When a teenager watches `Giselle' and understands the storyline, he will remember it. He would want to come back, perhaps spread the word,'' he said, adding that he knew this because he was once that teenager.
``That's the idea. It doesn't matter how long ballet (survives). The interest in ballet is what is important,'' Mukhamedov said firmly.
Some of Korea's favorite dancers will return to the stage for ``Giselle,'' including Kim Joo-won, the principal dancer of the KNBC, and Kim Yong-geol, the first Korean dancer to join the Paris Opera Ballet.
Giselle will be on stage Aug. 23 - Nov. 2 in Seoul and local cities including Busan, Yongin and Daegu. For more information, visit www.kballet.org.