Universal Ballet Soloist Choi Ji-won Named 'Prima Ballerina' of the Year

[Photo by Universal Cultural Foundation]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] Choi Ji-won (photo), soloist of Universal Ballet, received this year's 'Prima Ballerina' award at the 24th Korea Ballet Association Awards ceremony held by the Korea Ballet Association on the 1st.

The Korea Ballet Association Awards were established by the Korea Ballet Association in 1996 and are given annually to artists and cultural figures who have made significant contributions to the development of the dance community in South Korea. The first recipients included Moon Hoon-sook, director of Universal Ballet, and Choi Tae-ji, artistic director of Gwangju City Ballet.

Choi Ji-won graduated from Sunhwa Arts School and Sunhwa Arts High School, then from Ewha Womans University’s Department of Dance, and joined Universal Ballet in 2009. She has demonstrated her capabilities through distinctive characters in various works such as the lead roles Giselle and Myrtha in "Giselle," Odette/Odile in "Swan Lake," and Clara in "The Nutcracker." She won the bronze prize at the 2004 Dong-A Dance Competition, 3rd place at the 2005 Asia-Pacific International Ballet Competition, and 2nd place at the 2009 Seoul International Dance Competition.

Choi Ji-won is a dancer known for her tall stature, long limbs, unique lyricism, and elegant expressiveness.

Choi Ji-won is scheduled to perform the new work "RUTH, Ricordi Per Due" alongside Universal Ballet’s principal dancer Lee Dong-tak at Universal Art Center in Seoul on the 8th and 9th during Universal Ballet’s "Special Gala" performance. This is the final work by Gerald Arpino, founder of the Joffrey Ballet in the United States. It is a neoclassical piece that sensually explores the boundary between memory and emotion through the beautiful language of the body, set to the lyrical melodies of Italian composer Tomaso Albinoni.

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