Hoon Sook Pak
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Julia H. Moon also known as Hoon Sook Moon (born Hoon Sook Pak, January 1, 1963) is the General Director of
Universal Ballet The Universal Ballet was founded in Seoul, South Korea in 1984. One of only five professional ballet companies in South Korea, the company performs a repertory that includes many full length classical story ballets, together with shorter contempora ...
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 ...
, and daughter-in-law of
Sun Myung Moon Sun Myung Moon (; born Yong Myung Moon; 6 January 1920 – 3 September 2012) was a Korean religious leader, also known for his business ventures and support for conservative political causes. A messiah claimant, he was the founder of the Unif ...
, founder of the ballet company. She was the
prima ballerina A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...
of the company.


Biography


Early life

Julia Moon was born in 1963 in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, as Hoon Sook Pak. Her father,
Bo Hi Pak Bo Hi Pak (August 18, 1930 – January 12, 2019 in Korea. Korean: 박보희/朴普熙) was a prominent member of the Unification Church. During the 1970s and 1980s, he was a major leader in the church movement, leading projects such as newspapers ...
, is a senior leader in the
Unification Church The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, is a new religious movement, whose members are called Unificationists, or "Moonies". It was officially founded on 1 May 1954 under the name Holy Spi ...
and has been responsible for
News World Communications News World Communications Inc. is an American international news media corporation. Background It was founded in New York City, in 1976, by Unification movement founder and leader Sun Myung Moon. Its first two newspapers, ''The News World'' (l ...
(which published ''
The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...
''),
CAUSA International The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, is a new religious movement, whose members are called Unificationists, or "Moonies". It was officially founded on 1 May 1954 under the name Holy Spi ...
, the
Little Angels Children's Folk Ballet of Korea The Little Angels Children’s Folk Ballet of Korea is a Korean traditional art and dance troupe made up of elementary and middle school children, founded in 1962 by Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church, to project a positive image ...
, and other church related organizations. At the age of ten, Julia Moon traveled to Korea to receive dance instruction with the Little Angels, which had been founded in 1962 by Sun Myung Moon. She performed as a singer and dancer with them. "At first, I was interested in gymnastics. Then I wanted to dance, but when I realized how much hard work it involved, I wanted to change. But my parents were very encouraging about me continuing with ballet," she said. She took courses in ballet at the
Sun Hwa Arts School Sunhwa Arts School is a private coeducational college preparatory arts academy located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded as the Little Angels Art School in 1973 by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon (the founder of the Unification Church), the Sunhwa Art ...
in Seoul, and subsequently received instruction at the
Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especially ...
in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and L'Academie de Dance Classique de Princess Grace of Monaco. She was a dancer with the Ohio Ballet, and 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 ...
; joining the latter in 1982.


Universal Ballet

After her
fiancé An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...
Heung Jin Moon Heung Jin Moon (; October 23, 1966 – January 2, 1984), also referred to by members of the Unification Church as Heung Jin Nim or posthumously as Lord Heung Jin Nim (),"Theological Uproar in Unification Church: Rev. Moon Recognizes Zimbabwean as ...
died in an automobile accident, Sun Myung Moon founded a dance company for her. She had been engaged to Sun Myung Moon's 17-year-old son, who died in 1984. She was previously known as Julia Pak, and was already a gifted ballet performer prior to the incident. "We had no definite date for a marriage but it was implicit that we would be together. Rev Moon had suggested us but we had made the decision," she said of her fiancé. In a ceremony, she was married to the spirit of Sun Myung Moon's son after his death, and became Moon's daughter-in-law. This was in accordance with Unification Church beliefs that only people who are married may enter into
heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...
. She had been performing overseas with the Washington Ballet, but was called back to the United States in order to be spiritually married to Heung Jin Nim. The marriage to her husband's spirit is believed to be "permanent and indissoluble". She explained to ''
The Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...
'' about marrying a deceased groom, "In Korean tradition, I've heard there are other cases of this kind of marriage. In our church, my case is the only one where it's happened this way. But even if this personal situation had not happened, the company would still have got started." Julia Moon commented to ''
Dance Magazine ''Dance Magazine'' is an American trade publication for dance published by the Macfadden Communications Group. It was first published in June 1927 as ''The American Dancer''. ''Dance Magazine'' has multiple sister publications, including ''Pointe' ...
'' on her relationship with her husband, "When I dance, I'm communicating with my husband. He's not here physically, but he's close in spirit." She stated she "had a son with Jin" through adoption of her sister's son. "I have an adopted son, aged eight. My husband's younger brother's family wanted to offer me their child," she said to ''
The Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...
'' in 2000. The Universal Ballet company of South Korea was founded to serve as a memorial to her husband. Universal Ballet of
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
, Korea was founded in 1984, and the Universal Ballet Foundation, Inc. was started by the Unification Church in 1986. Located in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, the Universal Ballet Foundation, Inc. operates as a casting office for the Universal Ballet of Korea. The dance company was initially started by Bo Hi Pak and ballerina Adrienne Dellas. Dellas had previously served as a dance instructor for Julia Moon. Julia Moon's father served as president of Universal Ballet as of 2000; he was also chairman of the Korean Cultural Foundation. At its inception, Julia Moon was the primal ballerina of Universal Ballet. In 1986, Julia Moon performed as the lead ballerina dancer at a performance based on a Korean folk tale called ''Shim Chung'', in a production at the Asian Games, Culture and Arts Festival in
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
. ''Shim Chung'' went on to become a popular performance piece in South Korea. In December 1989, Julia Moon made her debut with the
Kirov Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet (russian: Балет Мариинского театра) is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russ ...
in
Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
in a performance of ''
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, ...
''. To promote the performance, Sun Myung Moon took out a full-page advertisement in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. The ad featured an image of Sun Myung Moon. It also contained the text of an interview with Sun Myung Moon by a Soviet reporter, where Moon said the ballet was "an important moment in the development of my personal contact with the Soviet Union". Sun Myung Moon created the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Northeast for Julia, and recruited Oleg Vinogradov of the Kirov Ballet in Russia to serve as artistic director; Vinogradov was appointed to the role in 1998. In 1990, the founder of the Washington Ballet Mary Day commented to ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' about Julia Moon, "She's a lovely, lovely girl, and a lovely dancer and person. We were sorry to lose her when she went back to Korea to start the company." As of 1990 the Universal Ballet company had yet to perform in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, but had hired guest performers from the U.S. at significant cost. In a 1993 interview with ''
Tulsa World The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 202 ...
'', Julia Moon said of the art of ballet, "It's really a universal language." She spoke of Korean dancers versus other styles, "I think I would say that Korean dancers - those born and raised there - are very lyrical in their movements, more so than Japanese or Chinese or American dancers," she said. "It's probably something related to Korean folk dancing, which uses a very soft line and is very lyrical." In 1995, Julia Moon started her term as the general director of the Universal Ballet company. The Universal Ballet company's first tour in the United States was in 1998. Julia Moon said that the company is separate from Sun Myung Moon, and that only herself and one other member are also members of the Unification Church. Approximately half of the administrative staff, headed by her father, Bo Hi Pak, one of Rev. Moon's chief aides, belong to the Unification Church. She said the company does not perform modern ballet styles, due to her view that the "classical form is the most beautiful form and therefore that's where our background is". She commented that she would like for the company to move in the direction of more contemporary pieces, "We really do want to know more of these contemporary modern works. I think we're ready for it. We need to expand artistically in that area, as well as keeping parallel with the classical tradition." In 2000, Julia Moon was interviewed by ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'' on her thoughts about being the general director of Universal Ballet. "I lack certain qualities, as a dancer and as a director. Sometimes I do wish I was a nobody, but because this company was formed on me, I feel that if I faltered or wavered the company would falter as well," she said. She commented in 2000 to ''The Evening Standard'' about
homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
in ballet, "It exists in Korea, but since we started 16 years ago we haven't had any gay dancers. We just haven't had to deal with that issue." In 2001, the Universal Ballet company performed ''Shim Chung'' in
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. Julia Moon commented to ''
The Press-Enterprise ''The Press-Enterprise'' is a paid daily newspaper published by Digital First Media that serves the Inland Empire in Southern California. Headquartered in downtown Riverside, California, it is the primary newspaper for Riverside County, with he ...
'' on the selection of ''Shim Chung'' as the performance piece, "We thought that this would be a good ballet to bring with us on this tour. We are very proud of it and we think that it is a very beautiful ballet. But beyond that I believe it demonstrates in the most convincing way possible that classical ballet and Korean literary and dance traditions can come together to create a new dance form, a blend in which each of the parts has its place." She to '' The Press-Telegram'' in 2001 that at this point Universal Ballet was judged more for its artistic merit than its origins, "People are now judging us by our artistry. The press is less interested in the connection with the church. The church has no role in the ballet company. I am a member of the church, as is one other dancer." In 2002, Julia Moon retired from her position as the star of the Universal Ballet company. In 2004, the Universal Ballet company performed ''
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 ...
'' at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Korea. "The ballet is known for its spectacle. It's mammoth, visually grand and one of the more exotic ballets in the repertory," explained Julia Moon. By 2004, she had become artistic director of Universal Ballet. In 2004, Bo Hi Pak was the chairman of the board of directors of the Universal Ballet company. According to the ''
Long Beach Press-Telegram The ''Press-Telegram'' is a paid daily newspaper published in Long Beach, California. Coverage area for the ''Press-Telegram'' includes Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Compton, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, Lynw ...
'', " ulia Moon'srole as general director had been at times overshadowed by the strong presence and energy of the Rev. Moon, and Pak, both of whom share a desire to create a world-class ballet company for Korea." In 2008, the Unification Church still gave financial support to the Universal Ballet company, and Julia Moon had a position on the company's board of directors. In 2011, she received the
Kyung-Ahm Prize The Kyung-Ahm Prize is a series of awards presented annually from the Kyung-Ahm Education & Cultural Foundation. Founded in 2005 with a 100 billion KRW endowment by Geum-Jo Song, the award originally had four categories and in addition to the aw ...
.


References


External links


Universal BalletInterview with Julia Moon
exploredance.com
InterviewInterview
''
Korea Herald ''The Korea Herald'' is a leading English-language daily newspaper founded in 1953 and published in Seoul, South Korea. The editorial staff is composed of Korean and international writers and editors, with additional news coverage drawn from int ...
'', 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Moon, Julia 1963 births Living people People from Washington, D.C. South Korean ballerinas American Unificationists South Korean emigrants to the United States Unification Church and the arts Dancers from Washington, D.C.