Korea Ballet Festival Highlights New Works... Director Joo-won Kim Says "Time to Nurture Creators"

16th Korea Ballet Festival to Open Next Month

15 Works to Be Performed in 27 Shows Over Two Months

New Creations from Seoul Ballet Company, Director Jung Gooho, and More Unveiled

"Korean ballet has now reached a stage where it must discover new creators and develop outstanding works. Over the past 16 years, the Korea Ballet Festival has accumulated know-how by unearthing new content and choreographers. I believe that going forward, we need to further solidify these efforts."

JooWon Kim, Artistic Director of the Korea Ballet Festival, made these remarks at the opening press conference for the 16th Korea Ballet Festival, held at the Seoul Arts Center on the 21st. He emphasized that since the skills of Korean dancers have been confirmed as world-class, it is now time to develop original works and foster choreographers for this purpose.

As K-content continues to draw global attention, Korean ballet has also achieved remarkable results on the international stage over the past few years. Kang Miseon, principal dancer of Universal Ballet, won the Best Female Dancer award at the 2023 Benois de la Danse, known as the "Academy Awards of dance." At the Prix de Lausanne, a gateway for young dancers, Park Yoonjae became the first Korean to win the competition last year, followed by Yeom Dayeon who placed second this year. Jun Mincheol took the Grand Prize at the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) last year and officially joined the prestigious Mariinsky Ballet in Russia as a first soloist. These consecutive achievements demonstrate that the skills of Korean dancers have reached the highest global level.

JooWon Kim, Artistic Director of the Korea Ballet Festival, introduces the 16th Korea Ballet Festival at a press conference held at the Seoul Arts Center on the 21st. Korea Ballet Festival

Director Kim herself also received the Best Female Dancer award at the Benois de la Danse in 2006. As a senior dancer, she determined that for Korean ballet to take the next leap forward, it must go beyond producing star dancers and focus on nurturing choreographers and building repertoire.

This is the background behind the Korea Ballet Festival, the nation's largest ballet festival opening next month, putting an emphasis on new original works. JooWon Kim has been leading the Korea Ballet Festival as its artistic director since last year.

The 16th Korea Ballet Festival will begin on May 1 with Universal Ballet's "Shim Chung." Fifteen leading Korean ballet companies will participate, presenting 15 works under the theme of "Echo" in a total of 27 performances over more than two months, until July 4, at the Seoul Arts Center, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, and Baekryeong Art Center in Chuncheon. In addition, four special programs will introduce ballet to audiences in a friendly manner, including exhibitions, ballet film screenings, ballet lectures, and talk sessions with the audience.

Out of the 15 works, five are new productions. "Shim Chung" is a representative work of Korean original ballet, which premiered at the National Theater in 1986 and has since been staged in over 40 cities across 12 countries, including France, Russia, and the United States, enhancing the global standing of Korean ballet.

Next, the Seoul Ballet Company, now in its third year, will present its new work "In The Bamboo Forest" (May 15-17 at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts). This is the second full-length original ballet by the company, following "A Midsummer Night's Dream," which was performed at its founding in 2024. Kang Hyo-hyung, a soloist with the Korea National Ballet, choreographed the piece. After joining the Korea National Ballet in 2009, Kang has worked as both a dancer and choreographer since 2015 and was nominated in the choreographer category at the 2017 Benois de la Danse.

This year, the Korea Ballet Festival will also present two newly created works as part of its planned performances. Director Jung Guho will stage "Tale of Tales" (May 22-23 at the Seoul Arts Center), and choreographers Choi Sujin and Lee Ruda, in collaboration with the interdisciplinary performance art group Mooto, will present "Ballet Arirang" (June 6-7 at the Seoul Arts Center).

"Tale of Tales" is inspired by four iconic classical ballets—"La Sylphide," "The Sleeping Beauty," "Giselle," and "Swan Lake"—and conveys the emotions of the principal ballerina. Director Jung explained, "I wanted to depict the journey of escaping responsibility and duty in pursuit of freedom," and described the work as a semi-original creation inspired by famous classical ballets. Kang Miseon, principal dancer of Universal Ballet, and Kim Jiyeong, a former principal dancer with the Korea National Ballet and Dutch National Ballet who now teaches at Kyung Hee University's Department of Dance, will perform the lead roles.

Joo-won Kim, Artistic Director of the Korea Ballet Festival (fourth from the right in the front row), and officials from participating groups of the 16th Korea Ballet Festival are taking a commemorative photo on the 21st after finishing a press conference at the Seoul Arts Center. Korea Ballet Festival

"Ballet Arirang" is an original ballet exploring new forms of expression. Mooto, directed by Park Hun-gyu, is a group known for its unique performances blending various art genres, including media art, traditional music, and electronic music, with members such as underground club DJs, geomungo players, and media artists. Director Park commented, "I believe Director Kim Joo-won commissioned the piece to create a creative and innovative ballet," and added, "We plan to portray human solidarity that does not falter in the face of failure."

Kim Kilyong, director of Wise Ballet Company, stressed the immense value of the Korea Ballet Festival stage for private ballet companies. "This year marks the 21st anniversary of Wise Ballet Company, but due to budget constraints, it is extremely difficult to perform at the Seoul Arts Center. The opportunity to perform on this stage at least once a year through the Korea Ballet Festival is very meaningful. Furthermore, since Korean contemporary original ballets struggle to sell tickets and are rarely revived, the Korea Ballet Festival plays a vital role in reviving such works, almost like giving them CPR."

Director Kim Joo-won emphasized, "With Korean dancers now active in leading ballet companies around the world, Korean ballet has reached a level that commands global attention. The creative capabilities of both public and private ballet companies are also growing every year." She added, "As Korean ballet continues its healthy and dazzling progress, I will make the Korea Ballet Festival a platform for connection and resonance."

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