By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
South Korean ballet dancers Lee Dong-hun and Kim Ri-hoe won second prize in the duet division at the Moscow International Ballet Competition, according to the Korea National Ballet Company, Friday.
This marks the highest honor and the third time for Korean dancers from the KNBC to be given an award. Kim Yong-gul won third prize in the male's solo category in 1997, while ballerina Kim Joo-won took home the same prize in the female solo category in 2001.
``It was so difficult to perform here where I don't understand the language. I only had Lee's support and we told ourselves before standing on stage to do our best. I'm so happy for both of us,'' Kim was quoted as saying by the KNBC after her win.
Lee, 23, who entered the local troupe in 2008, is one of the KNBC's up-and-coming dancers. First garnering the main role in ``The Nutcracker'' the same year, he received critical acclaim for his performance as the prince in French choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot's ``Cinderella'' early this year.
The 22-year-old Kim joined KNBC in 2006 and first appeared in the main role of Marie in ``The Nutcracker'' the same year. She won the first prize in the junior category at the Seoul International Dance Competition in 2005.
The first prizewinners in the duet category were Zagrebin Dmitry of the Bolshoi Ballet and ballerina Guan Wenting of the National Ballet of China.
Meanwhile, Choi Tae-ji, the artistic director of the KNBC, was also present at the event as a juror.
The Moscow International Ballet Competition is held every four years and is considered as the ``Olympics of Ballet.'' It was first held in 1969 dedicated to Russia's legendary ballerina Marina Semyonova and is one of the three elite ballet events in the world along with the Varna International Ballet Competition and the USA International Ballet Competition.