Ballet 'The Night in Seoul' Sharpens Styles Without Narrative
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
The gala 'The Night in Seoul' at the National Theater showcased contrasting ballet traditions—Russian, French, American, and Danish—through a sequence of highlight pieces rather than a single narrative. The finale featured Mariinsky Ballet First Soloist Mai Nagahisa and Jeon Min-cheol performing Lavrovsky’s Romeo and Juliet; Nagahisa’s Juliet was praised for controlled lines and musical sensitivity, while Jeon provided steady, understated partnering. The Royal Danish Ballet presented Bournonville-style pieces (a 19th-century Danish technique characterized by quick, continuous steps and seemingly weightless landings), notably La Sylphide where the male role James drew attention with lively, shifting center work. Unexpectedly, Paris Opera Ballet’s Kang Ho-hyun adapted on short notice with Jeon to perform Delibes excerpts, delivering polished chemistry despite little rehearsal. American Ballet Theatre offered classic pas de deux from Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and Don Quixote, though critics noted sparse staging and monochrome lighting that diminished visual variety. Overall, the gala created an engaging comparison of international ballet vocabularies and aesthetics rather than telling a single story.
