Modernity and tradition

Festival offers opportunity for growth of choreographers

By Do Je-hae

Starting with Stuttgart Ballet's principal Kang Sue-jin, a growing number of Koreans have made an impression in the world of international ballet. Young stars of Korean ballet have made strides recently with the world's foremost troupes in Europe, the U.S. and Russia.

The radiant Seo Hee is a first-ever Asian principal at the American Ballet Theater, and Yuhui Choe, a soloist at London's Royal Ballet, is one of the most popular dancers at the British company. Then there is Park Se-eun, who swiftly rose through the ranks to become a soloist at the world's most prestigious company, the Paris Opera Ballet, in March. The press also made a fuss over Kim Ki-min, who recently joined the legendary Mariinsky Ballet, the pride of St. Petersburg, Russia, as a soloist. He is the first Asian male dancer ever to enter the company.

Meanwhile, many Koreans continue to win coveted prizes at international ballet competitions.

Most of these dancers were initially trained in Korea. It seems rather clear that Korea can train good dancers, but what how much success has the country had with choreographers? Korean ballet community has yet to produce top flight choreographers, mostly due to the lack of proper education.

Ballet Festival Korea will present new works by Korean chreographers, many of whom formerly had success as dancers and are now making a transition to chreography. / Courtesy of Seoul Arts Center

The upcoming Ballet Festival Korea is a rare opportunity for local choreographers to show their work to large audiences. The aim of the annual event, to be held from May 23 through June 15, is to introduce new creations by young Korean choreographers, many of whom formerly had successful careers as dancers.

The festival began in 2011 with the objective of bringing ballet closer to the general public, with the participation of large companies like the National Ballet of Korea and Universal Ballet as well as lesser-known companies, many of which are founded by former star dancers like Kim Yong-gul, first male Korean dancer to join the Paris Opera Ballet.

The event will feature smaller and up-and-coming companies such as the Lee Won Guk Ballet, founded by Lee Won-guk who formerly performed as principal dancer at the Korea National Ballet.

The festival will open with awork entitled "Work 2 S," choreographed by Kim Yong-gul who is the founding director of the Kim Yong Gul Dance Theater. He is among the first generation of Korean dancers to make a smooth transition from star dance to teacher, and ultimately, a choreographer. This kind of transition is rare among Korean dancers.

Although choreography has been overlooked in Korean ballet education, nurturing choreographers is particularly important, since they are the creative force that carves the identity of a ballet company. Legendary choreographers like the late John Cranko of the Stuttgart Ballet or Jean-Christophe Maillot of the Monte Carlo Ballet have made a name for their respective companies with masterpieces that have been imported by troupes around the world.

"In Korea, there is a tendency among ballet dancers to perceive choreography as something they could consider getting into after retirement," said Choi Tae-ji, honorary artistic director of Korea National Ballet, in a previous interview with The Korea Times. "But if proper training is directed toward the right talent, dancers with exceptional musicality and creativity can start doing choreography as early as age 18."

The choreographers who are presenting their works at the festival are mostly former dancers. By participating in the festival, they are aiming to share their creative output with the general public and let them know that there's more to ballet than the traditional "Swan Lake" or "Giselle."

In fact, even the most traditional of ballet houses are turning to modern works to gain larger audiences and improve their image as a future-oriented organization.

The Paris Opera Ballet, which is more than 300 years old, and London' Royal Ballet are have been keen to incorporate more modern productions in their repertoire.

In Korea, where interest in ballet is still limited, traditional repertoire continues take a large share of ballet performances at major venues like Seoul Arts Center.

The festival is a departure from such tendency, as all of the works are new creations. In particular, the festival includes choreographic debut of renowned dancers like Jeon Eun-seon, who formerly danced with the Universal Ballet in Seoul and is currently with the Royal Swedish Ballet.

After 18 years as a professional dancer, she now heads the JES Ballet Company, which will perform a piece called "Wall," her first work, on June 10-11. The piece is an expression of the barriers that people feel in life. "My role as choreographer is to build an environment where we can fully use our imagination," she said.

Some of the works to be presented at the festival take a modern twist of classic works. "Flowers of Scotland" by Lee Won Guk Ballet is based on Shakespeare's tragedy "Macbeth" with Mendelssohn’s third symphony "Scottish" as accompaniment.

Lee Won Guk Ballet is one of the most active dance companies in Korea both in the number of performances and new choreography. Last year, it was lauded for a work that was set to Mahler's fifth symphony.

The Shin Moo Sup Ballet will give a performance of a contemporary version of "Carmen," with National Ballet principal Kim Ji-young guesting in the lead role.

The festival will close with a series of gala performances that features some of the most popular pas de deux scenes and variations.