Korean ballet sees a boom amid acknowledgment on the world stage

Ballerino Jeon Min-chul won the Grand Prix at the world's largest student ballet competition in the U.S. last month.

Also, world famous choreographers are visiting Korea to collaborate, raising expectations for Korean ballet.

Cha Yun-kyung reports.

Last fall, famous Korean ballet troupes performed the ballet ' La Bayadère' with renowned dancers including Ballerino Jeon Min-chul, who will join Mariinsky Ballet Company next month.

Ticket sales last year saw a dramatic increase due to famous works and performances.

The total ticket sales in the first three quarters of 2024 exceeded 6 billion Korean won, around 4-point-4 million U.S. dollars, which is the highest in 5 years.

And with this growth, world famous ballet companies and choreographers are visiting Korea.

The American Ballet Theatre performed in Korea last month, showing the history of American ballet.

'Lady of the Camellias', which brought an award to Korean National Ballet director Kang Sue-jin in 1999, also returned to the stage at the beginning of this month.

And choreographer John Neumeier has come to Korea to collaborate for this work.

Living legends of Korean ballet, such as Choi Tae-ji and Kim Joo-won, will come out in the 15th 'Ballet Festival Korea', which will be held until the end of June.

The Seoul Metropolitan Ballet has also collaborated with famous Swedish choreographer Johan Inger for this festival. Inger has visited Korea for the first time as a choreographer for this project.

As Korean ballet dancers are seeing global acknowledgment, world famous masters are also heading to Korea.

Cha Yun-kyung, Arirang News.