Ballet dancer Lee Eun-won achieved a lot of things early in her life.

Undoubtedly one of the most stellar dancers in the local ballet scene, Lee was only 18 when she joined the Korean National Ballet as an apprentice in 2010. She made her lead debut as Marie in the “Nutcracker” in the same year, and was promoted to prima ballerina in 2012 ― just two years after her debut.

In spite of her principal dancer title, the 21-year-old is still the youngest member of the company. Her talent was obvious to many from the time she was young. Lee was given special admission to the gifted dance program of the Korea National University of Arts at the age of 14. 

“There is price for everything,” says Lee in her soft-spoken voice. “Everyone was at least three years older than me while I was attending KNUA. A lot of times I felt isolated. And because my classmates had been professionally training for the past few years, they were a lot stronger physically.”

Lee is ahead of the opening of KNB’s “La Bayadere,” an 1877 piece choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus. She has been cast to perform two different characters ― Nikiya and Gamzatti ― during the run, switching the roles with other principals of the company.

Set in India, the ballet first features a passionate romance between the “bayadere” (temple dancer) Nikiya and young warrior Solor. The piece eventually turns into a dramatic tragedy as the High Brahmin, who has fallen for Nikiya, and Gamzatti, the ruler’s daughter who is desperate to marry Solor, make plans to break them apart. Lee is playing the tragic Nikiya who is betrayed by her lover, as well as the beautiful yet manipulative Gamzatti, who ruthlessly destroys Nikiya’s outlook on love and life.

“I’d think of it as an Indian version of ‘Giselle,’” Lee says. “There’s love, there’s betrayal and then there’s forgiveness.”

Giselle, Lee says, in fact is her favorite role of all time. She watched act one of the romantic ballet when she was in elementary school, and fell in love with it.

“I could not watch the second act because I was really scared of the vengeful female ghosts,” Lee says, laughing.

Lee, who said she loved good food and visiting movie theaters, said she loved hanging out with her middle school friends, all of whom are her own age. The young dancer said she’s been excited to go on a cherry blossom tour which she plans to attend right after the closing of “La Bayadere.”

“I tend to get attracted to those who are my age,” says Lee. “I find those who act their age ― those who don’t pretend to be mature or something that they are not ― charming. I think it’s because I’ve been surrounded by those who are older than me for so long.”

Ever since she started ballet at the age of 8, it has dominated Lee’s life. A major life crisis occurred for her in 2008 when she suffered a knee injury and her grandfather passed away. In spite of the injury, Lee competed in Prix de Lausanne, an international dance competition held annually in Lausanne, Switzerland, that year.

“I did not win the competition,” Lee says. “But the chief judge Karen Kain, who is the current artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada, took me aside and told me, ‘You danced well, but looked rather unhappy on stage.’ What she said really hit me. That’s when I decided to dance for myself, rather than trying to please the judges and professors. I think it’s important to be happy and grateful to be a good dancer.”

“La Bayadere” runs from April 9 to 14 at Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-dong, Seoul. Tickets range from 5,000 won to 80,000 won. For more information, call 1544-1555.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)