Korean Ballerina Hong Ji-min Brings Bournonville Ballet to Seoul
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
Hong Ji-min, the only Korean member and a soloist of the Royal Danish Ballet, returned to Korea with colleagues to present “2026 The Night in Seoul Ballet Gala” on March 3–4 at the National Theater. She aims to introduce the Bournonville method (a Danish ballet technique emphasizing quick footwork, natural mime, and expressive, unexaggerated acting) more accurately to Korean students after seeing mislearned clips online. The gala features Bournonville highlights such as Napoli and La Sylphide and includes dancers from the Royal Danish Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Paris Opera Ballet, and Mariinsky Ballet. Hong, who trained in Canada and overcame serious injuries early in her career, says Bournonville’s philosophy—valuing naturalness and joy in dance—resonates with the East Asian concept of muwui-jayeon (무위자연) from Daoist thought. She will also teach master classes at Korean universities and arts high schools before returning to Denmark on March 9.
