After making ballet more popular in Korea, Choi takes it to the world stage


NAPLES ― On the night Korea National Ballet premiered “Prince Hodong” in Italy, the birthplace of ballet, Choi Tae-ji, director of KNB, burst into tears, overjoyed.

She was probably even more nervous during the show than the prima ballerina, she told The Korea Herald after successfully holding the two-day show at San Carlo Theater in Naples last week.

“Our dancers performed so well, with at least ten times more energy and spirit than ever, perhaps out of patriotism. Seeing them on stage, tears just welled up in my eyes. We showcased ‘Prince Hodong’ many times before, but everyone really put in their best efforts to this one,” she said. 

The show sold out on the first day and filled about 80 percent of seats on the second day, impressive considering it was held at 6 p.m. Korea National Ballet has performed overseas several times but this was the first time they went with an original work, not a European classic.

“When you say original ballet in Korea, it usually means you want something modern and neutral that is in trend in Europe. But I figured we should develop something from our own traditional sentiments and aesthetics. As the superintendent of San Carlo Theater said, ‘Prince Hodong’ has a more profound ‘han’ and drama compared to ‘Romeo and Juliet,’” said Choi.

“I remember when I held a show in Israel in 1997. The staff there asked us what we had and we could only drop our heads and murmur ‘Swan Lake,’ or ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ But now we have our very own piece, one that we can be proud of. We will polish it and reach out to the world with it,” she said.

Choi hinted that she is in talks with companies to support KNB in its dream, and that the upcoming show of “Prince Hodong” may be held at the world renowned opera house La Scala in Milan, Italy.

“Ballet is quite popularized in Korea now, and our next goal is globalization,” she said.

By Park Min-young, Korea Herald correspondent 
(claire@heraldcorp.com)