National Ballet Company, Artistic Director Kang Sujin's Masterpiece 'Camellia Lady' Premieres in Korea

2025 Performance Works Revealed... 'The Little Mermaid' Revival
Contemporary Ballet 'Kilian Project' in June
Choreographer Development 'KNB Movement' 10th Anniversary Celebration

The National Ballet Company will premiere the world-renowned ballet choreographer John Neumeier's 'The Lady of the Camellias' at the Opera Theater of the Seoul Arts Center in May next year. The National Ballet Company unveiled its performance plans for next year, including 'The Lady of the Camellias,' on the 26th.

'The Lady of the Camellias' is based on the representative work of French writer Alexandre Dumas fils, the novel 'La Dame aux Camelias.' The story of the courtesan Marguerite and the pure young man Armand's ill-fated love has been adapted into various artistic works, with the opera 'La Traviata' being the most famous.

'Camellia Lady' performance scene
Photo courtesy of the National Ballet Company, (c)Kiran West

'The Lady of the Camellias' holds a special place for Kang Sujin, director of the National Ballet Company, as it earned her the prestigious Benois de la Danse award for Best Female Dancer. The Benois de la Danse is recognized as the highest honor in the dance world, often called the Academy Award of dance. Kang Sujin received the Benois de la Danse in 1999.

Neumeier is renowned for ballet works that reconstruct literary narratives, and 'The Lady of the Camellias' is considered a masterpiece showcasing his delicate and outstanding choreography. This work uses music by Frederic Chopin, a composer representing Romanticism, to maximize the poignant and passionate emotions of the two protagonists, Marguerite and Armand.

The National Ballet Company will premiere Neumeier's work domestically for the second consecutive year, following last year's premiere of 'The Little Mermaid.' The company plans to restage 'The Little Mermaid,' which premiered this May, in August next year. Thus, two Neumeier works will be performed next year.

In June next year, the National Ballet Company will perform the 'Kylian Project' at the GS Performing Arts Center, featuring three works by Ji?? Kyli?n, a leading choreographer of contemporary ballet. The Kylian Project consists of his representative works: 'Forgotten Land,' 'Falling Angels,' and 'Sechs T?nze (Six Dances).'

'Sechs Tanze' Performance [Photo by National Ballet Company]

Among these, 'Forgotten Land' and 'Sechs T?nze' were performed by the National Ballet Company in 2019 at the CJ Towol Theater of the Seoul Arts Center.

'Forgotten Land' is a work choreographed by Kyli?n inspired by the paintings of Edvard Munch. It expresses the land as the foundation of human existence and the historical traces of all eras, as well as the image of women living on this land, divided into three stages. The music used is the 'Sinfonia da Requiem' by British composer Benjamin Britten. The National Ballet Company also presented this work as an invited performance at the National Theater in Prague, Czech Republic, in 2019.

'Sechs T?nze' is a humorous work based on the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, exploring the irony of human nature through humor and satire. The title of the work is in German, named by Kyli?n, inspired by six German dances composed by Mozart.

'Falling Angels' will be presented for the first time in Korea. It is a piece for eight female dancers set to the minimalist music of Steve Reich.

The National Ballet Company plans to perform 'Giselle' and 'The Nutcracker' at the Opera Theater of the Seoul Arts Center in November and December next year.

Prior to that, in August, the company will present a performance commemorating the 10th anniversary of the National Ballet Company's choreographer development project, the 'KNB Movement Series,' which began in 2015. The performance will feature a selection of works previously presented in the KNB Movement Series.

Overseas performances of 'Heo Nanseolheon - Suwol Gyeonghwa,' choreographed by National Ballet Company member Kang Hyohyeong, and 'The Pirates,' choreographed by Song Jeongbin, are also planned. 'Heo Nanseolheon - Suwol Gyeonghwa' will be performed in Japan, and 'The Pirates' in Germany.

Additionally, next year, the National Ballet Company plans to launch a public pilot service for the 'National Ballet Company Archive' project, which has been actively underway since 2023. The company has completed preliminary work such as cataloging archive materials and is currently discussing and developing the system and service direction for public access internally. The company will continue its 'regional performances' aimed at popularizing ballet and promoting cultural enjoyment nationwide, as well as the 'Dream Tree Classroom' project, which has been ongoing since 2021 to provide ballet education and joint performance opportunities with the National Ballet Company for culturally marginalized youth.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.