The Korea Ballet Festival, bringing together the country's major ballet companies, will run from May 1 to June 21 at venues including the Seoul Arts Center and Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.
"This year marks the 16th edition of the festival, offering a venue to see the current state of Korean ballet at a glance," Kim Ju-won, artistic director of the Korea Ballet Festival, said at a press conference held at the Seoul Arts Center on Monday. "With world-class dancers of remarkable skill and energy already in place, we will now focus on nurturing creators and content."
A total of 15 companies will participate in this year's festival, presenting 15 works across 27 performances. The theme is "echo," conveying a message of artistic coexistence resonating as a single reverberation.
Among the highlights is "Jung Kuho's Tale of Tales," a new ballet directed by Jung Kuho. It marks Jung's return to ballet after 14 years, following his last work in 2012. The piece reinterprets the varied emotions of heroines from classical ballets such as "The Sleeping Beauty," "Giselle," "Swan Lake" and "La Sylphide." "I took a bold new look at the ballerinas of classical ballet," Jung said. "The work depicts the process of breaking free from the burdens and constraints imposed on ballerinas and finding their own identity and freedom. I sought to show multilayered emotions through unfamiliar expressions within the familiar." Kim Ji-young and Kang Mi-sun will dance the lead roles.
The Seoul Metropolitan Ballet will also premiere its new work "In the Bamboo Forest" at the festival. Created through a collaboration between next-generation choreographer Kang Hyo-hyung and gugak musician Park Da-ul, the piece is an original ballet aimed at the global stage.
Private ballet companies will participate in force. Universal Ballet will open the festival with "Shim Chung," while Wise Ballet Theatre will stage "Frida," a work exploring the life and art of Frida Kahlo. Regional ballet companies including Chuncheon Ballet, Busan ID Ballet and Gwangju City Ballet will also take part, broadening the scope of the stage.
Another feature is the opportunity to see works by emerging choreographers. "Goblins' Feast" and "Dance of the Goblins" by Ballet Company Green Moon, selected through an open call, will be performed as a double bill, while "Drosselmeyer" by Busan Ballet and Project Cloud Nine is also drawing attention.
