It was like meeting “the one” you want to marry ― when you know, you just know.Famed ballerina Kang Sue-jin said that’s exactly how she felt when she was asked to be the next artistic director of the Korean National Ballet.“I’ve received the same offer a number of times in the past,” the Korean-born, Germany-based dancer said during a press conference in Seoul, Wednesday. She accepted the offer this time, and her three-year tenure starts in February. “But I never really felt I was ready until no

Performance Dec. 19, 2013

Conjure the image of John Brown in your head and you see the fearsome emancipator, a righteous prophet who gave his life to fight slavery with the Harpers Ferry raid of 1859. The Union turned his death into a rallying cry with the anthem “John Brown’s Body.” His soul is marching on.Brown’s story might have moved from history to legend, but it still contains some truth. It’s also ripe for mischievous revision, which is exactly what James McBride provides in his National Book Award-winning novel “

Books Dec. 19, 2013

More than 200 million people were expected to have watched films in theaters this year as of Wednesday, setting a record in Korean cinema history. Last year, a total of 194,890,587 people hit theaters to watch films in Korea. Korean films alone attracted 118,160,000 viewers this year, exceeding last year’s record of 114,613,190. The market share of Korean movies also reached 59.1 percent this year, surpassing that of foreign films, which stood at 40.9 percent. This year saw releases of English-l

Film Dec. 18, 2013

More than 200 million tickets have been sold in movie theaters this year as of Wednesday, according to the state-run Korean Film Council. It is the first time that Korean theaters welcomed such a high number of local viewers.Last year, a total of 194,890,587 people hit theaters to watch films in Korea. Korean films alone attracted 118,160,000 viewers this year, exceeding last year’s record of 114,613,190. The market share of Korean movies also reached 59.1 percent in 2013, surpassing that of for

Film Dec. 18, 2013

In his essay “I Am Melody,” pianist Kwak Yoon-chan says jazz is the music of the less privileged. “Jazz emphasizes the unstressed beat, instead of the stressed.”And the musician certainly empathizes with his pianist character in the on-going play “Novecento,” Italian playwright Alessandro Baricco’s most famous work. The unique character, named Novecento in honor of the 20th century ― it means 900 in Italian ― was born in 1900 on the transatlantic ship the Virginian. His parents abandoned him by

Performance Dec. 17, 2013

Korean-American writer Susan Ee worked as a lawyer before turning to fiction writing, but having been a life-long fan of science fiction, fantasy and horror literature, it wasn’t too hard for her to choose the subject for her first book: angels.“Biblical angels destroyed entire cities and turned people into pillars of salt,” Ee wrote in an email interview with The Korea Herald. “Yet, we tend to portray them as cute cherubs and sweet guardian angels. If they came down to Earth in force, I figured

Books Dec. 16, 2013

Dance “The Nutcracker by Nowon Leewonkook Ballet”: A 14-year-old ballerina is making her debut as Marie in Nowon Leewonkook Ballet’s upcoming run of “The Nutcracker.” Loosely based on French ballet choreographer Marius Petita’s version, Nowon Leewonkook Ballet offers a unique rendition of the world’s favorite Christmas ballet, directed by celebrated dancer and choreographer Lee Won-kook. Lee, who was with the Korea National Ballet and Universal Ballet Company for 20 years, founded his own troupe

Performance Dec. 13, 2013

As Nelson Mandela, Idris Elba towers over the rest of the cast in “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.” That’s literally true and perfectly accurate. Mandela was tall, as is Elba (of the “Thor” movies and “Takers”). And Elba manages both the voice and a hint of the presence of the great man.He tends to tower over the movie, as well, in this comprehensive but generally dry account of one man’s journey from upwardly mobile attorney to activist to revolutionary to statesman. There are no “name” actors a

Film Dec. 13, 2013

Korea’s homespun musical “Moon Embracing the Sun” kicked off its Japanese run at the Aoyama Theatre in Tokyo on Thursday, starring Lina from the girl group The Grace and Sung-je from the dance group Supernova. Based on MBC’s enormously successful 2012 drama series of the same name, the musical tells the moving love story of Hwon, a cynical but attractive fictional Joseon king, and Yeon-woo, a beautiful female shaman. The musical also deals with the court intrigues of those vying for political po

Performance Dec. 13, 2013

Documentary filmmaker Lee Seong-gyou, who is best known for his 2010 film “My Barefoot Friend,” died on Friday. He was 50.He started shooting “My Barefoot Friend,” a film documenting the life of a 50-something rickshaw operator named Shalim living in Calcutta, India, in 1999. It took him more than 10 years to complete the film, which became the first Asian feature-length documentary to be nominated in the competition lineup of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in 2010.Lee was

Film Dec. 13, 2013

Even after winning the Best Actress Award in Cannes in 2007, celebrated actress Jeon Do-yeon says she still struggles with self-doubt. “I think that is why I work hard,” the 40-year-old actress said in an interview with reporters in Seoul, Wednesday. “I don’t think I ever started something with confidence. My close friends tell me, whenever I tell them I feel insecure, ‘You’ll be fine, you know you’ll do fine. You are just saying this.’ “And I usually end up doing fine, I usually pull it off. Bu

Film Dec. 12, 2013

The Maid’s VersionBy Daniel Woodrell(Little, Brown and Company)In his first novel in seven years, Daniel Woodrell, author of the acclaimed “Winter’s Bone” (2006) and “The Outlaw Album (2011),” returns to his beloved Ozarks with a ghostly tale about a mysterious explosion at a rural Missouri dance hall in 1929 that left more than 40 people dead.It’s a departure for Woodrell, whose previous nine books have mostly focused on the hard-bitten lives of the rural poor. “The Maid’s Version,” based on a

Books Dec. 12, 2013

Look for a present for the hard-to-buy for-reader? Here is an exotic assortment of worthy books for the holiday season and beyond.For readers who like photography and nature, introduce them to “North America: A World in One Continent” (Running Press) by Huw Cordey. A coffee-table book, it’s the companion to the Discovery Channel series “North America.” The photographs were shot over three years as that the television crew filmed the continent. It’s riddled with personal stories and factual nugge

Books Dec. 12, 2013

“The gods of guilt” is more than a phrase that attorney Mickey Haller ― best known as the Lincoln Lawyer ― likes to use when referring to a jury’s verdict. It refers to the judgments that people make about others on a daily basis, questioning their motives and dissecting their actions. But Mickey also grapples with his personal gods of guilt, knowing that sometimes being a good attorney has a price.Michael Connelly delivers a compelling, suspense-laden plot that accelerates at high speed from th

Books Dec. 12, 2013

Dancers rarely get to speak on stage, and there is a reason for it. It’s not impossible, but it’s difficult.Celebrated ballerina Kim Ji-young on Tuesday breathed heavily at the Jayu Theater of Seoul Arts Center, after performing a one-minute scene from the popular romantic ballet “Giselle.” She couldn’t speak for more than 10 seconds, as she could barely catch her breath. “There is a reason why ballets don’t have any lines,” she said. “I pretty much didn’t breathe at all for the past minute.” As

Performance Dec. 11, 2013