Ballet for families ahead of Children's Day

Ballerino Lee Jae-woo, center, performs during the Korean National Ballet’s dress rehearsal for “The Taming of the Shrew” at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of the Korean National Ballet

By Kwon Ji-youn

The shrew was at once graceful and ill-tempered.

The chaste Giselle from the Korean National Ballet’s (KNB) previous production was nowhere to be seen Tuesday night at the dress rehearsal for the press. In her place, a cantankerous and fire-breathing filly jolted about, unappeased with her many suitors who tended more towards farce than romance.

The curtains rose on the KNB’s rendition of “The Taming of the Shrew” at the Seoul Arts Center Wednesday. The Taming of the Shrew, a full-length ballet by John Cranko based on Shakespeare’s comedy of the same name, was premiered by the Stuttgart Ballet in March 1969, and depicts the courtship of Petruchio and Katharina, the obdurate shrew. Baptista won’t let her second daughter Bianca marry until his first is wed, and so Bianca’s suitors introduce Petruchio to tame the shrew.

Ballerina Lee Eun-won in the role of Katharina wore a pout throughout the entire first half, her movements taut and angular. At times, she resembled a tenacious child throwing a temper in an aisle of a toy store, and later as a demure woman in love for the first time. Lee ensured the transformation was striking as she went from impudent to inviting as the second act commenced.

Her sister, on the other hand, epitomized charm. Bianca, portrayed by Park Ye-eun, wore pink from head to toe, and her steps and leaps were light and delicate. Her love scenes with Lucentio and those between Katharina and Petruchio were as different as night and day. Bianca and Lucentio were an exemplary couple with the just the right amount of affection to ensure the ballet didn’t drown in comedy.

But Katharina and Bianca weren’t the only attractions that night. KNB principal dancer Lee Jae-woo, in the role of Petruchio, was a true scene-stealer.

Lee, standing 195 centimeters tall, was as boorish as Katharina was irascible. But Lee’s Petruchio was perhaps more appealing in the KNB’s ballet than in the original play. Being a dancer, Lee’s attempt at drunken antics wasn’t as vulgar, and his movements were a tad too polished.

Though the dancers had no lines, the messages they sent with their movements on stage were more than obvious. Bianca’s three suitors were especially memorable in solos that featured more slapstick-style humor than sautes. Hortensio and Grumio wore colorful costumes that made their maneuvers look all the more goofy.

There is no need to flip through the pamphlet for a deeper understanding of the ballet _ it is self-explanatory, and the dancers ensure no important plot elements go adrift in the hoopla.

Particularly entertaining was the end of act one, when all the guests to Petruchio and Katherina’s wedding fell to the floor in a wave of movement when the newlyweds shoved them in their struggle.

The KNB’s “The Taming of the Shrew” is suitable for families as Children’s Day approaches. Ticket prices range from 5,000 to 100,000 won and performances will be held through May 3. For more information, visit www.kballet.org or call 02) 587-6181.