EunWon Lee is a South Korean ballet dancer. She was a former principal dancer with the

Korea National Ballet The Korea National Ballet is a South Korean ballet company. It was founded in 1962 in Seoul as the National Ballet Company. It was one of the affiliates of the National Theater of Korea until 1999, when it separated to independently reestablish its ...

and currently dances with

The Washington Ballet The Washington Ballet (TWB) is an ensemble of professional ballet dancers based in Washington DC. It was founded in 1976 by Mary Day, and has been under the artistic directorship of Julie Kent since 2016. Septime Webre was artistic director for ...

Early life and education

Lee was born and raised in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. She discovered ballet at the age of seven, after attending a performance of ''The Nutcracker'' with her parents. She enrolled in ballet classes and later became a student at the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts, a competitive arts middle school, and at Ye Won Art School. She skipped high school and entered university at the age of sixteen. Lee received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from

Korea National University of Arts Korea National University of Arts is a national university in Seoul, South Korea. Korea National University of Arts was established in 1993 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea as the only national university of arts with an a ...

in Seoul.

Career

Lee joined the Korea National Ballet as an apprentice in 2010. She injured her knee when she was eighteen years old and had to take time off from the company. She was promoted to principal dancer at the age of twenty-one in 2012, making her the youngest principal dancer at the Korea National Ballet. She was a principal dancer for six years. As a principal, Lee became a celebrity in South Korea, even throwing the first pitch at a professional base ball game. She danced the role of Katherina in

John Cranko John Cyril Cranko (15 August 1927 – 26 June 1973) was a South African ballet dancer and choreographer with the Royal Ballet and the Stuttgart Ballet. Life and career Early life Cranko was born in Rustenburg in the former province of Tran ...

's ''

Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...

'' as her last performance with Korea National Ballet. In 2016 she moved to the United States and joined

under the new artistic leadership of Julie Kent. Her debut with The Washington Ballet was in the ballet ''

Giselle ''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...

''. She has danced the leading roles in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'', ''The Taming of the Shrew'', ''Giselle'', ''

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...

'', ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...

'', ''

La Bayadère ''La Bayadère'' ("the temple dancer") ( ru. «Баядерка», ''Bayaderka'') is a ballet, originally staged in four acts and seven tableaux by French choreographer Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus. The ballet was staged especiall ...

'', ''

Spartacus Spartacus ( el, Σπάρτακος '; la, Spartacus; c. 103–71 BC) was a Thracian gladiator who, along with Crixus, Gannicus, Castus, and Oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprising ...

'', ''

Raymonda ''Raymonda'' (russian: Раймонда) is a ballet in three acts, four scenes with an apotheosis, choreographed by Marius Petipa to music by Alexander Glazunov, his Opus 57. It was first presented by the Imperial Ballet at the Imperial Mariinsky ...

'', ''L'Arlésienne'', ''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaiko ...

'', ''The Seventh Symphony'', '' The Sleeping Beauty'', '' Prince Ho Dong'', ''Holberg Pas de deux'', ''Tchaikovsky'' and ''Poise''.

Awards

*Prima Ballerina Award – Korean Ballet Association ''(2014, South Korea)'' *New Artist Award – Korean Ballet Association ''(2013, South Korea)'' *Senior Silver Medal & Prima Ballerina Award – Korean Ballet Association ''(2011, South Korea)'' *Junior Bronze Medal – Varna Ballet Competition ''(2008, Bulgaria)'' *Junior Silver Medal – Shanghai Ballet Competition ''(2007, China)'' *Grand Prix, Junior Gold Medal – Seoul International Ballet Competition (''2006, South Korea)'' *Elegance Award – Vaganova Prix International Competition (''2006, Russia)''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, EunWon Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Korea National University of Arts alumni Korea National Ballet South Korean ballerinas South Korean emigrants to the United States The Washington Ballet dancers 21st-century ballet dancers