Kim Joo-won ( Hangul, 김주원; born 8 May 1977) is a South Korean prima ballerina who has danced for 15 years with the Korean National Ballet (KNB). In 2012, she curtailed her formal membership of the troupe to branch out on her own.

Biography

Born in Busan, Kim began to study ballet when she was 12, completing her training at the

Bolshoi Ballet School The Moscow State Academy of Choreography (russian: Московская государственная академия хореографии), commonly known as The Bolshoi Ballet Academy, is one of the oldest and most prestigious schools of ball ...

in 1998. The same year she joined the Korean National Ballet where she soon gained the distinction of prima ballerina. Kim has contributed significantly to Korean ballet taking leading roles in ''

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, ...

'', ''

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'' and

Jean-Christophe Maillot Jean-Christophe Maillot (born 1960) is a French dancer and choreographer born in Tours. Early life and education He studied at the dance conservatory in Tours before enrolling at the École supérieure de danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower, w ...

's ''

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 ...

''. Between 1998 and 2012, Kim performed approximately 100 times a year, practicing three or four different programs at a time. Semi-nude photos of her in ''Vogue'' and a photographer's exhibition in 2007 were considered controversial. Despite several offers from foreign troupes, she continued to dance with the company until 2012 when she branched out on her own, hoping to devote more of her time to musicals, pop art and fashion. After 15 years, she left the national ballet although she continues to dance with KNB as a guest principal dancer. Her first new assignment in June 2012 was to perform in ''Poise'', a contemporary ballet production, followed in 2013 by her own production of ''

Marguerite and Armand ''Marguerite and Armand'' is a ballet danced to an orchestral arrangement of Franz Liszt's B minor piano sonata. It was created in 1963 by the British choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton specifically for Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn. The ball ...

''. In 2014, Kim will perform in “Two in Two”, a collaboration with her rival from the KNB,

Ji-Young Kim Ji-young Kim (; born July 26, 1978) is a South Korean prima ballerina and is currently a principal dancer with the Korea National Ballet (KNB) in Seoul, South Korea. Early years Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea. She tried a number of hobbie ...

, which incorporates tango, flamenco, ballet and

contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of dance performance that developed during the mid-twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly strong popularity in ...

. The two principal ballerinas had shared the role of princess Nakrang in the KNB show " Prince Hodong" in 2011 at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Italy. During 2016 Vivaldi’s '' Orlando finto pazzo'' production at the Korea National Opera, Kim did a cameo as princess Angelica. In that occasion she was asked by director

Fabio Ceresa Fabio Ceresa (born 21 August 1981) is an Italian opera director and librettist. Opera productions * ''L'Orfeo, immagini di una lontananza'', by Luigi Rossi / Daniela Terranova 2012, Festival della Valle d'Itria * ''Giovanna d'Arco'', by Giuseppe ...

to dance a choreography in less than 1 square meter. Of her various awards, she has been the recipient of the Rookie award from the Korean Dance Association (2001), bronze medallist at the Moscow International Ballet Competition (2001), and Prima Ballerina Award of the Korean Dance Association (2002). At the 2006

Benois de la Danse The Benois de la Danse is a ballet competition held annually in Moscow. Founded by the International Dance Association in 1991, it takes place each year on or around April 29 and it's judged by a jury. The members of this jury change every year and ...

, Kim took the prize for top female dancer.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Joo-won 1977 births Prima ballerinas South Korean ballerinas People from Busan Prix Benois de la Danse winners Korea National Ballet Living people