Ballerina on path of true artist

Kang Hyo-Jung in JormaElo’s“Slice to Sharp” / Courtesy of Stuttgart Ballet

By Rachel Sang-hee Han

Kang Hyo-jung, principal dancer at the Stuttgart Ballet / Courtesy of Roman Novitzky

STUTTGART, Germany ― When it comes to crafting any type of art, it’s inevitable to peek into the lives and works of fellow artists. Especially if that fellow artist is already on top of her field. For Stuttgart Ballet’s principal dancer Kang Hyo-jung, this type of comparison came quite naturally as she was following the footsteps of one of Korea’s favorite ballerinas, Kang Sue-jin.

But it didn’t seem to have affected the 28-year-old. In fact, it came as a daily reminder of her potential and dreams.

“People ask if we are related,” Kang said, laughing during an interview at a cafe near the Stuttgart Ballet theater, adding she would then politely say no.

“I am deeply honored whenever people compare myself to her and her work. In my opinion, she’s more than just a principal dancer, she’s an artist.”

Unexpected choices

The interview took place a few days before her departure with the ballet company to Bangkok in October, where they performed “Onegin” by John Cranko, the company founder and choreographer. She didn’t seem nervous at all, quite at ease to travel around the other side of the world to perform. In fact, she was poised and thoughtful throughout the interview, which lasted around two hours over coffee.

After attending the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington D.C. in the U.S. for four years from 1998, Kang danced in Korea with the Universal Ballet Company (UBC) for a short period of time, attended the Prix de Lausanne and found herself in Stuttgart for ballet training at the John CrankoSchule, or the John Cranko ballet school.

As soon as she graduated in 2004, she was offered the chance to dance as an apprentice in the Stuttgart Ballet and over the next 10 years, she danced her way up to becoming a principal.

It turned out for the best, but dancing in Europe was not the initial plan she had in mind at the time.

“I was planning to back to UBC. But then I decided to spend a year at the John CrankoSchule and then there was an audition and after that, I was offered a spot at the company. I didn’t even imagine the opportunity, but here I am,” she said.

For some, her rather smooth career path, including her entering the ballet school, getting offered a position at one of the finest ballet companies in Europe and finally making it up to the prestigious principal dancer status, may seem like pure luck. Plus, her very calm and attentive personality seldom suggests intense struggles or cutthroat competition.

But then those people, including myself, would have been wrong. She admitted that she was naive and didn’t really think she had to try too hard. She was used to standing in the back during rehearsals and trainings. But then it didn’t take long for Kang to realize her place.

“After about three years, I started to lose confidence. I felt I was getting further away from my dreams. Others even worried for me and said I should move companies. I needed to change my attitude and in the end, I finally did.”

A view of the Stuttgart State theater in Stuttgart, Germany / Courtesy of Rachel Sang-hee Han

Home away from home

When asked about her life in a foreign country, Kang said it was good, adding that she was quite used to living abroad. In fact, she’s been living away from Korea for a long time, ever since she was a teenager.

It took some time for her to get used to Europe after dancing in the U.S. for a while, but it seemed she had already started to believe that Stuttgart has become a home away from home.

“Stuttgart and Seoul both feel like home. It’s a different kind of home, but it’s the same feeling. I feel comfortable in both places,” she said.

“When I go to Seoul I feel very loved. It’s like I get filled up by a fuel of love from friends and family and then come back to Stuttgart fully charged.”

When asked about her next plans, she thought for a moment.

“I’m a perfectionist so I’m never 100 percent satisfied. Every step has to be exactly the same, the music has to be just the way I want and I thought that was what the audience wanted too,” she explained, adding that many dancers tend to go through similar “mistakes” in only focusing on their own work and not looking pass the stage.

“But I came to realize there is no ‘perfect’ step nor a time when every step, every emotion, every muscle is the same. It’s still about heading toward perfection, but more about becoming the character within the performance. It sounds easy, but it’s the hardest thing.”

“Of course I wish to find my own color and own path as a dancer, but in the end, I want to become an artist.”