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| ▲ Ballerina Kang Mi-sun, who won the best female dancer award at this year's Benois de la Danse, speaks during a press conference held at Universal Arts Center in Seoul on June 27, 2023, to mark the win. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ (From left) Universal Ballet's General Director Julia Moon; Principal Ballerina Kang Mi-sun; Ryu Ji-yeon, a member of the ballet company's standing guidance committee; and Artistic Director Bingxian Liu pose during a press conference held in Seoul on June 27, 2023, to mark Kang's winning of the best female dancer award at this year's Benois de la Danse in Russia. (Yonhap) |
ballerina-intl award
Ballerina Kang Mi-sun hoping to have positive influence on junior dancers
By Shim Sun-ah
SEOUL, June 27 (Yonhap) -- Ballerina Kang Mi-sun exuded a mixture of disbelief and excitement Tuesday as she reflected on her winning of the best female dancer award at this year's Benois de la Danse during a press conference here to mark her achievement.
"It's been almost a week since I attended the awards ceremony, but I still can't believe that I won the big honor," she said during the press conference.
"Regardless of winning or not, just being nominated was a tremendous honor for me. But the fact that I was able to showcase Korean ballet on that stage itself was already a great privilege for me."
She shared the honor with China's Qiu Yunting during the awards ceremony held at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow a week ago, beating four other competitors from leading ballet companies from around the world.
Kang, a principal ballerina at South Korea's Universal Ballet, was recognized for her critically acclaimed lead role as a widow who bids farewell to her husband in "Mirinaegil," a short ballet work choreographed by Universal's artistic director Bingxian Liu.
The piece premiered at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul in March as part of the ballet company's original creative production "Korea Emotion."
Universal Ballet General Director Julia Moon noted that Kang's win was all the more meaningful because it was earned by a Korean creative ballet during the press conference at the Universal Arts Center in eastern Seoul.
"Given that many Korean dancers working abroad have gained relatively higher recognition, I believe this victory could serve as a significant source of pride for ballet dancers based in Korea," she said.
Kang has been working for the Seoul-based ballet company for about 21 years since she entered it as an apprentice in 2002.
"I studied at the Washington Kirov Academy of Ballet in the United States for about 1 1/2 years, and it's not that I haven't considered working for an overseas ballet troupe," the 40-year-old said of her career deeply rooted in Korea.
She, however, chose to be with Universal Ballet because it was her childhood dream.
"I thought I could not be the best in the world if I'm not the best here. I thought I could go work abroad only after being recognized by everyone, but it took 21 years," she said, with a giggle.
When asked about the driving force of her long career, she said she had never imagined she would be working with the same ballet company for such a long time.
"As I continuously strive to fill my gaps and improve, time has passed by so quickly," she said.
"Mirinaegil" has been praised for its exquisite depiction of the distinctively Korean sentiment of affection, blending elements of traditional Korean dance seamlessly into the ballet performance.
Kang expressed her confidence in executing traditional Korean dance movements for the piece, citing her six years of training in Korean dance at a neighborhood dance studio she had attended since the age of 8.
She shared the experience, saying, "The studio director suggested that I focus on Korean dance instead of Western ballet back then. However, I decided to pursue ballet because I found it more enjoyable."
She is also known as one of the few "working-mom ballerinas" in the country.
She married her colleague and fellow principal dancer Konstantin Novoselov at Universal Ballet in 2014 and gave birth to her son in October 2021.
"Many of the challenges I face as a parent are alleviated through ballet, so I don't particularly feel the hardships as a working mom and a ballerina," she said. "I want to become a dancer who can have a positive influence on my juniors," she said when asked about her aspirations for the future.
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