"La Bayadère," "The Sleeping Beauty," "Don Quixote," "Onegin" and "Romeo and Juliet."

These masterpieces will be on stage during a three-day, four-show special gala in Seoul as one of Korea's top ballet companies, Universal Ballet, performs these works and more, showing off its dancers’ extraordinary pliés and sophisticated pointe work.


The four shows mark the 30th anniversary of the ballet company’s establishment. Universal Ballet, started in 1984, has been credited with bringing an art form mainly enjoyed by certain classes of society closer to the general public.

In 1992, the company invited Oleg Vinogradov, the former artistic director of the Russia-based Marrinsky Ballet, to come to Seoul and teach his Russian ballet technique. With that move, the company expanded its repertoire, presenting many shows, including “Swan Lake,” for the first time.


Directed by Vinogradov, the upcoming four shows will be presented in two acts. In act I, the curtains will rise to a 32-member dance troupe performing “The Kingdom of the Shades,” part of “La Bayadère.” Also, major scenes from world-renowned pieces, including "The Sleeping Beauty," the “Wedding Pas de Deux” from "Don Quixote" and the third act of “Onegin,” will follow.

Act II will feature the company’s own creation, “The Love of Chunhyang,” along with contemporary works, such as “Duende,” “In the Middle” and “Fanfare LX.”

The spotlight will be on two ballerinas who both started at the company and have now become international stars: Seo Hee and Kang Hyo-jung. Respectively, they serve as principal dancers at the American Ballet Theatre and at Stuttgart Ballet.

Seo, as Juliet, will perform the “Balcony Pas de Deux,” a famous piece from “Romeo & Juliet,” with her partner Ivan Putro, the former principal dancer at the Royal Ballet in London. The duo will relive the beloved characters’ romance with a sometimes shy and sometimes dramatic choreography.


Kang will be paired with principal dancer Alexander Johns of Stuttgart Ballet to perform “Fanfare LX,” choreographed by Douglas Lee, a British ballet dancer and choreographer.

The ballet group has also prepared a special performance of “Minus 7,” its finale, wherein audience members are invited to the stage, allowing them to mingle with the performers.

“Despite my real worries about Korea’s longstanding association as being ‘ballet-less,’ Korea has significantly developed its ballet industry, enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with its international counterparts,” said general director Moon Hoon-sook of Universal Ballet.

The director stressed that more efforts should be made to solidify the foundation of her ballet company so that it can maintain its success in the years to come.


The special gala will run from February 21 to 23 at the Seoul Arts Center. More information can be found at the ballet company’s website.

http://www.universalballet.com/english_version/index.asp  

By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
jiae5853@korea.kr