Ballet enthusiasts, get ready for a summer sizzler! After the American Ballet Theater’s dazzling performance in April and the Royal Ballet’s show-stopping visit in early July, South Korea is about to be graced by yet another world-class company. The Paris Opera Ballet is set to make its grand return, promising a feast for the eyes and soul.
Mark your calendars, dance lovers! From July 29 to August 1, the Seoul Arts Center will be alive with the grace and power of the POB Etoiles Gala. Can’t make it to Seoul? No worries! The spectacle moves to the Daejeon Arts Center on August 3. This year’s gala is pulling out all the stops, featuring an unprecedented lineup of the company’s crème de la crème.
At the helm of this star-studded event is none other than Park Sae-eun, a trailblazer who made history in 2021 as the first Asian dancer to snag the coveted title of etoile (that’s principal dancer to you and me) at the world’s oldest national ballet company. Talk about girl power! This isn’t Park’s first rodeo either – she’s back for her third turn as curator, following knockout performances in 2022 and 2024.
But wait, there’s more! Among the ten (yes, ten!) featured etoiles are French ballet icon Mathieu Ganio and rising star Guillaume Diop. Diop’s not just a pretty face and fancy feet – he made waves in 2023 as the first Black dancer to be named etoile after his heart-stopping performance as Albrecht in Giselle. And get this: that groundbreaking moment happened right here in Seoul!
“Given everyone’s packed schedules, it’s extremely rare to have this many etoiles performing together outside of Paris,” Park said in a recent written interview with The Korea Herald. “The fact that so many of my colleagues were eager to perform in Korea made all the effort worthwhile.”
For Ganio, this gala marks his Seoul debut and his first international performance since bidding adieu to the company in March after a stellar run in “Onegin.” Talk about going out with a bang!
“Ganio has long been the definition of the Paris Opera Ballet,” Park said in introducing him. “His humility and dedication have made him a role model for younger dancers.”
“I’m grateful to Sae-eun for bringing me to Korea,” Ganio shared. “I’m especially looking forward to exploring Seoul. It’s a city everyone’s talking about these days, full of energy and increasingly influential in Europe as well.”
Dancers Bring Their A-Game
True to form, Park has whipped up a gala program that’s equal parts classic and cutting-edge. It’s a three-course meal for your eyes: Programs A and B in Seoul, with Program C as the cherry on top in Daejeon.
How did she pick the pieces? Simple. Park went for the dancers’ greatest hits – the works they love most and perform like rock stars. But that’s not all, folks. She also made sure to throw in some meatier, medium-length numbers to really take the audience on an emotional rollercoaster.
“As a curator, I want to create performances for Korean audiences that feel like ‘a performance that can only happen here and now.'”
Park herself will be pulling double duty, gracing the stage in “In the Night” and “The Nutcracker” for Program A, then switching gears for “Sylvia” and “The Sleeping Beauty” in Program B. Not to be outdone, Ganio will strut his stuff in “In the Night” and “Sonata” during Program A.
Speaking of “In the Night,” it’s one of Park’s all-time faves. This Jerome Robbins masterpiece, set to Chopin’s dreamy piano nocturnes, is like a love story in three acts. It features three couples, each at a different stage in their relationship. Park will dance as part of the first couple alongside Paul Marque, while Ganio pairs up with Leonore Baulac as the second couple.
“Personally, I believe this piece best showcases the distinctive dance style of the POB. For the first couple, it’s especially important to express the most tender love where every subtle breath and touch counts,” said Park.
“The second couple represents stability and formality within a relationship,” Ganio added. “What audiences could look out is how feelings are expressed through restraint. It’s a nuanced portrayal that shows love doesn’t always have to be passionate to be deeply felt.”
Life-Changing Moments, On and Off Stage
Park joined the POB as a corps de ballet member in 2011 and has been with the company for over a decade. Reflecting on her promotion to etoile in 2021, she described it as a turning point that brought both “responsibility and freedom.”
But the surprises didn’t stop there. In 2023, Park welcomed a little ballerina of her own into the world. Motherhood, she says, has been like a crash course in emotional intelligence. “It’s like I unlocked a new level in my performances.”
“I found myself stepping onto the stage with more calmness and with emotional depth. Parenting taught me to focus intensely in short bursts, which has improved the quality and concentration of my practice,” said Park.
Meanwhile, 41-year-old Ganio, who chose to retire a year earlier than the usual retirement age, is navigating a turning point now. He is currently participating in postretirement programs offered by the POB to redefine his direction beyond the stage.
“My daily routine isn’t very different from my time at the company. The difference is that I perform less frequently in Paris, but more on international stages. I want to look back calmly on my past and create a meaningful transition,” said Ganio. “Looking back, every moment on stage was sincere and profound. My decision to retire is part of a process of preparing for a new beginning. I want to stay connected to the arts, just in a different way offstage.”
As for Park, she’s already got her sights set on the 2025-26 season. Her dream role? Giselle. It’s not just a favorite – it’s her artistic soulmate.
“There are moments when music, movement and feeling all come together as one. My body reacts almost instinctively, and time on stage seems to stand still. In those moments, even the audience’s breath feels distant, and I’m reminded, ‘Ah, this is why I dance.’ Those moments don’t come often, but they’re why I return to the stage again and again.”
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