By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
Kim Yong-geol, one of Korea's biggest dance stars, is returning to the local stage with a gala performance ``Kim Yong-geol and Friends'' this month.
``This will be a special event where aspiring Korean dancers who are performing overseas can finally show their talent to the local public. This is their chance to show fellow Koreans how hard they have been training in different parts of the world. I hope the audience will welcome them with open arms,'' Kim, who in 2002 was the first Korean to join the Paris Opera Ballet, said in an email interview with The Korea Times.
``Friends'' is Kim's debut as an art director, and the gala performance will present various works by talented dancers, including those from the Bolshoi, Stuttgart and Korea's Universal ballets.
Kim, 35, will be returning to Korea for good after his successful career at the troupe as a soloist, to work as a professor at the Korea National University of Arts.
``My biggest challenge (in Paris) was the language. I also had to show my weaknesses to fellow dancers and the troupe, so that was a burden. I am very strict on myself when it comes to making mistakes, so fortunately, there weren't any big episodes,'' he said.
Despite his worries, Kim was recognized as one of the top dancers and became the first Asian soloist in the renowned dance troupe. So why was he leaving everything behind for Korea?