Seo Hee to star as Tatiana in Universal Ballet’s ‘Onegin’

Korean-born ballerina Seo Hee, who currently serves as the principal dancer of American Ballet Theater, is to give a performance as a lead in John Cranko’s three-act ballet “Onegin.”The 27-year-old is to dance with Korea’s Universal Ballet Company, as well as Roberto Bolle, her fellow principal dancer at the ABT.Seo, who joined the dance company in 2004, became a member of its corps de ballet in 2006, and was promoted to soloist in August 2010. She was promoted to the troupe’s principal dancer l

June 18, 2013

Helen Mirren in ‘The Audience’ sets NT Live record

NEW YORK (AP) ― As a queen, Helen Mirren reigns on screen and stage.National Theatre Live, which broadcasts stage shows from England to movie screens worldwide, said Monday that its June 13 live broadcast of Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II in the play “The Audience’’ has captured its largest audience to date.“We were expecting a big audience for it because there’s been great buzz but it’s turned out even greater than expected,’’ David Sabel, executive producer of NT Live, said in an interview from

June 18, 2013

Kanye West eerie, erratic on ‘Yeezus’

It’s hard to digest all of Kanye West on his new album.“Yeezus’’ is the rapper’s darkest, eeriest and most erratic album of his six solo releases. He is in militant form on the 10-track set, rapping over beats that are artsy, electronic and gloomy. It’s a far stretch from the contemporary rap and pop success he achieved with more than a dozen Top 10 hits, including “Gold Digger,’’ “Stronger’’ and “Heartless.’’ But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.“Yeezus’’ continues on the dark and emotive pat

June 18, 2013

2NE1 to release new single next month

2NE1 is releasing its long-awaited new single next month, YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-suk announced Tuesday morning through the agency’s website. According to the press release, the group will release a series of new singles, one at a time, from July to September. 2NE1 is also planning to release either an EP or full-length album in October, followed by a concert. On their upcoming song “Falling in Love,” 2NE1 have tried an entirely new genre, reggae, according to Yang.“2NE1 is certainly tryi

June 18, 2013

Psy wraps ‘Gentleman’ promotions

Psy ended official promotions of his latest single “Gentleman” in true Psy fashion with a firework-filled extravagant performance at Canada’s 2013 MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto on Sunday. “By the way, this was the official last performance of ‘Gentleman’ on TV, which was all with the fireworks, with the greatest crowd ever,” he said in an article on Billboard. “It was a really touching moment, so bless ‘Gentleman.’” Most critics rightfully speculated that Psy would be unable to replicate the

June 18, 2013

Lim Kim comes back with 1st solo album

Singer Lim Kim of singing duo Togewol has unveiled her first album as a solo artist.Titled “A Voice,” the album features five songs including the pre-released track “Number 1.” The album is slated for an official release on Tuesday, but the tracks were made available for downloading a day earlier.The title track “All Right” swept local music charts just hours after its release, topping at least five charts including, Mnet, Naver and Bugs and taking the No. 2 spot on Melon behind Sistar’s “Give I

June 18, 2013

Emily Young goes loose, not controlling, in collage art

Collage is quite a familiar form of art in Korea. The art technique is widely taught at classrooms to nurture creativity. One reason for collage’s popularity is the fact it is very “controllable.” All the materials are there, and the artist can manipulate the ingredients and reassemble them exactly however they want. In the early 20th century, famed artists such as Picasso, Braque and others adopted the method to realize images that were only available in the virtual world, or in their heads. Bu

June 17, 2013

‘A Tale of Two Cities’ returns for second run in Seoul

Broadway singer James Barbour is making his directing debut in Korea with the second Seoul run of “A Tale of Two Cities,” a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel of the same title.The piece is set against the conflicts between rebels and aristocracy during the French revolution and its parallel world in 18th-century London. It tells the story of Sydney Carton, a shrewd young English lawyer who develops a strong, unrequited love for Lucie Manette, a young loving French woman who grew up in

June 17, 2013

‘Sexy code’ dominates K-pop stage

With female K-pop singer after singer making their comeback with a “sexy code,” South Korea‘s music scene is bursting with eye-catching performances.Four-member girl group Sistar returned to the stage with their latest single “Give It To Me,” showing off dazzling gold and silver outfits resembling those of the divas of “Moulin Rouge.” The main choreography of the song, dubbed the “touch dance,” where the members tap their own bodies three times, adds to the sexy vibe. After School, often referre

June 17, 2013

Simon D and Lady Jane split after 6 years

　Rapper Simon D of Supreme Team and his girlfriend and singer Lady Jane have broken up after six years together, Simon D’s agency said. 　“They broke up about a month ago and now they stay as friends and coworkers,” the agency said.  　Sources said the busy schedules of the two musicians were the reason behind the break-up.　They started dating in October 2007 and Simon D revealed their relationship in December 2009 on SBS music program “Kim Jung-eun’s Chocolate.” 　　By Choi In-jeong, Intern reporte

June 17, 2013

Under ocean currents

Photographer Song Jung-keun captures extreme emotions in nature. In the photograph of a large, spontaneous ocean wave, one feels the rage of Mother Nature and the state of calamity at the same time. The dramatic impact of Song’s photographs reflects the emotions he felt in the early 2000s when the world he was becoming polarized, struggling. “I experienced the low point in my life after the Asian financial crisis in 1997. I had struggled financially and also saw others struggle like I did,” said

June 16, 2013

EXO debut hits top spot on Billboard World Albums Chart

Korea’s showbiz powerhouse S.M. Entertainment’s latest product, 12-member boy band EXO, topped the Billboard World Albums Chart as of June 22, the agency said Friday. The band’s full-length debut album, “XOXO(Kiss&Hug)” with the title track “Wolf,” was released worldwide on June 3 through iTunes and other music file distribution sites. It received 299,280 preorder sales and has become the best-selling album at Hottracks and others, while topping music charts on KBS, MBC and SBS over the weekend.

June 16, 2013

Eyelike: Box Office: White House Down, World War Z, Man of Steel

Vampire Weekend turns down tempo on 3rd CDVampire Weekend“Modern Vampires of the City”(XL Recordings)After releasing two bouncy albums of reggae-flavored pop laced with African rhythms, Vampire Weekend turns down the tempo and ups the indie-rock vibe on its third effort. “Modern Vampires of the City,” which the band characterizes as the culmination of a trilogy, puts singer-songwriters Ezra Koenig and Rostam Batmanglij‘s guitars and harmonies front and center. The New York quartet maintains the

June 14, 2013

Works of Gauguin come to Seoul

Masterpieces of the French post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin are on exhibition in Seoul. The exhibition, which runs from Friday to Sept. 29 at the Seoul Museum of Art, is the first-ever comprehensive survey of Gauguin’s artistic career presented to a Korean audience. It showcases about 60 artworks on loan from 30 major museums around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Musee d’Orsay in Paris and the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum in Moscow.  The exhibition focuses on

June 13, 2013

Sistar dominates charts with ‘Give It To Me’

Sexy four-member girl group Sistar has returned to the music scene with their second full album, “Give It To Me,” with most of the songs sweeping the local music charts. The 11-track album was released on Tuesday and as of Thursday afternoon Sistar’s lead track “Give It To Me” still sits at the No. 1 spot on all the major local music charts. Eight tracks, including “Bad Boy,” “The Way You Make Me Melt” and “Summertime,” made it into Naver’s Top 10 real-time music chart while six ranked on the Da

June 13, 2013

After School puts on a new color for 6th album

Girl group After School released on Thursday its sixth album together with a music video of its title song “First Love.”In the music video, the eight members of the group dance along to the funky and groovy melody, singing about unforgettable first love. Seeking to shed their established image, After School put on a sentimental look, accentuating each singer’s sorrowful vocals.After School partnered again with famed Korean producer and songwriter Brave Brothers -- the creator of “Because of You”

June 13, 2013

Foreign songwriters enhance the K-pop sound

Lee Hyo-ri has finally marked her return to the music scene after a three-year hiatus. The K-pop diva’s fifth album “Monochrome” not only highlights Lee’s quest to become a singer-songwriter but also her new retro sound with the help of foreign composers.Including the lead single “Bad Girls,” 12 out of 16 tracks were by songwriters from abroad. Critics are seeing her album more fitting for Lee than any of her previous releases, escaping her hip-hop sounds one tracks like “Chitty Chitty Bang Ban

June 13, 2013

Classical music fest gets Nordic touch

The annual Great Mountains Music Festival and School has been a great getaway for people seeking to escape from the heat-wave-struck city in the summer. Held in the cool, mountainous Gangwon Province, the music festival and master classes have also been an event where musicians from around the world communicate with classical music lovers in a setting that induces openness and concentration. This year, the GMMFS will get even cooler, introducing works of Nordic composers and musicians as well as

June 12, 2013