#ph: james bort

[hommeunculus]

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❧ Raphaël Personnaz

photographed by James Bort

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[kameliendame]

Newly appointed Étoile Sae Eun Park in Lifar’s Variations, Balanchine’s Jewels (Emeralds), and as Myrtha in Giselle

ph. James Bort, Agathe Poupeney, Michel Lidvac, and Yonathan Kellerman

How did you end up joining the Paris Opéra Ballet?

I couldn’t join American Ballet Theatre after spending one and a half years at ABT II [now the ABT Studio Company], so I returned to Korea. I was happy to be with my family and friends, and to be dancing as a soloist at the Korean National Ballet. But deep down, there was also the aspiration to experience more in a wider world, and that desire led me to the Paris Opéra Ballet. My YouTube watchlist was filled with videos of POB, and I was enthralled by the movements of the beautiful dancers. Without much plan or thought, I packed my bag and flew to France to attend the company’s open audition. Being in the enormous theater itself was overwhelming, and I didn’t have any expectations—or regrets—after finishing my audition. As I was about to leave France, I received a phone call: “Would you accept our offer to sign a one-year contract?” I said “Yes!” without any hesitation.

There is a lot of discussion these days around bringing more diversity to ballet. Have you ever experienced any challenges being an Asian dancer in the ballet world, particularly in Europe?

As an Asian, I did sometimes question myself and whether I could ever become an étoile. The answer? Yes, it is possible. I am extremely grateful. As a ballerina, I invested a lot of effort, and there were many challenges which I had to overcome, but I’m sure that this was the same for my French friends. I’ve always been treated the same way as my French colleagues, and we all had to go through the same difficulties. ‘Étoile’ is a challenging title to receive for anyone, but with talent and effort it is possible, regardless of nationality or skin color.

You are the first Korean ballerina to be named a danseuse étoile in the company’s history. What does that mean to you?

I don’t think I’ve had difficulties because of the fact that I am an Asian dancer. What was challenging for me was moving to a new country, learning a new language and adapting to a new culture. The process of changing from the Vaganova style to the French style was very difficult.

Focusing on my dancing, I waited and believed that I could become an étoile when I was ready. People give me a big hand for giving up everything and starting over, but I actually didn’t find that difficult at all. It was rather fun. The hardest thing for me were the questions I had about my identity as a dancer. But now, I no longer feel obliged to heavily depend on or reflect the Russian, Korean or French styles of ballet. [source]

[cajacardioforme]

LANVIN FW 2015

[tranums]

[hommeunculus]

Raphaël Personnaz

photographed by James Bort

[kameliendame]

Hannah O’Neill

ph. James Bort