🩰 This Week's Ballet & Modern Dance Highlights! - 2026.04.24 | Modern Dance / Ballet

Hello, fans! Ballet Nerd is back with a bunch of heart-fluttering news this week! 🩰✨ With the cherry blossoms gone and the weather getting warmer, the dance scene is already heating up! Let's quickly dive into the news of our dancers in insane condition and legendary performance infos!

🌟 This Week's Hot Issues

Kimin Kim's Legendary 'Bolero' Stage We have thrilling news that Mariinsky Ballet principal dancer Kimin Kim has become the first Korean to take the lead role of 'Bolero' in the Béjart Ballet Lausanne's performance in Korea . He grew up dreaming of this while watching videos of the legendary dancer Jorge Donn during his school days, and it's a stage he's been preparing for over 10 years ^[1]. He trained fiercely for 3 hours a day without even going to the restroom, but he said it was such a happy moment as a dancer—isn't that passion amazing? . This performance by Béjart Ballet Lausanne, held in Seoul for the first time in 25 years, is a chance to witness the historical choreography that liberated male dancers as subjects of wild energy. His dance that visualizes music on the red round table—everyone is going to see it live, right? ^[1]

Universal Ballet's 40th Anniversary of 'Shim Chung' and Dancers' Growth The pride of K-Ballet, 'Shim Chung', has already reached its 40th anniversary since creation ^[2]. In this stage, principal dancers Hong Hyang-gi and Lee Dong-tak pair up again after a year, and they say they show such perfect partnership that they can even feel each other's footsteps ^[3]. Especially, ballerino Lee Dong-tak was so moved by 'Shim Chung' during his college years that he decided to join the Universal Ballet, showing his extraordinary affection for this work. Ballerina Hong Hyang-gi also let go of her perfectionism from her 20s and is now truly enjoying dancing, making us look forward to their deepened performance even more ^[3]. This piece will be the opening work of the 16th Korea Ballet Festival starting on the 1st of next month, so absolutely don't miss it ^[4].

Ballet Festival's Unconventional New Work 'Tale of Tales' Director Jung Ku-ho presents a new work, 'Tale of Tales', which modernly reinterprets female protagonists in classic ballets ^[5]. It sets the main characters of 'La Sylphide', 'Swan Lake', 'Sleeping Beauty', and 'Giselle' as a single character, unfolding a narrative of finding one's own ego. He made an unconventional attempt to reduce the proportion of ballerinos compared to regular performances and focus on the female character. The stage, which starts achromatic, gradually gains color, so it seems it will be visually stunning as well. Legendary ballerinas like Kim Ji-young and Kang Mi-sun are all appearing, so expectations are already exploding! ^[5]

🎫 Performances & Movies You'll Regret Missing

Crystal Pite's First Visit to Korea 'Assembly Hall' Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite, called the 'dance genius of the 21st century', is finally coming to Korea this June with her dance company Kidd Pivot ^[6]. She is a master who won the Benois de la Danse for choreography, the highest authority award in the dance world, and won the Olivier Award a whopping five times. The 'Assembly Hall' being presented this time is her latest work that won the Best New Dance Production at the 2025 Olivier Awards. It runs for 90 minutes without an intermission and tells the story of an ordinary community hall through the precise movements of the dancers. I predict a fierce ticketing war once the booking opens! ^[6]

Seoul Metropolitan Ballet's Original Ballet Premiere Seoul Metropolitan Ballet teams up with choreographer Kang Hyo-hyung and geomungo player Park Da-ul to premiere 'In the Bamboo Forest' set in a bamboo forest at the Sejong Center next month ^[7]. Based on music combining traditional instruments like gayageum and daegeum with piano and guitar, they will express the strength and flexibility of bamboo through ballet. I'm so curious how they unraveled the lines and breathing of Korea into contemporary ballet! ^[7]

15th Anniversary Re-release of the Documentary 'Pina' The movie 'Pina', which captures the artistic life of modern dance master Pina Bausch, is returning to the screen on the 6th of next month to celebrate its 15th anniversary of release ^[8]. In this documentary directed by Wim Wenders, you can see the essence of 'Tanztheater' founded by Pina Bausch. It's a golden opportunity to meet legendary stages that broke the boundaries between dance and theater, such as 'The Rite of Spring', 'Café Müller', and 'Kontakthof', on the big screen of a movie theater again ^[8].

💃 A Spoonful of Dance in Daily Life

Sehwa Museum of Art x LDP Special Performance Tomorrow, April 26th, a performance by the modern dance group LDP will be held at the Sehwa Museum of Art ^[9]. Choreographer Yoon Na-ra and dancers will organically connect the exhibition space, artworks, and the audience with dynamic gestures. A magical time where the exhibition hall transforms beyond a simple viewing space into a massive 'stage of experience'! On the upcoming 30th, a Kintsugi workshop to restore broken objects will also be held, making it perfect for a weekend cultural outing! ^[9]

What is the Hardest Ballet Move Chosen by ChatGPT? We also prepared fun content for ballet newbies! Check out the high-difficulty ballet moves selected by ChatGPT through short-form videos, and let's feel once again how amazing the techniques our dancers create with bone-crushing efforts to defy gravity are ^[10].

That's all for this week's news! Let's not miss the wonderful stages filled with our dancers' blood, sweat, and tears, and cheer for them passionately! I'll be back next week with more fruitful news to stimulate your fan heart! 💖