The National Ballet Company’s 2025 lineup has been announced, featuring highlights such as John Neumeier’s “The Lady of the Camellias” and the “Kylian Project,” which presents three works by Jiří Kylián on a single stage.
“The Lady of the Camellias” (May 7-11 at the Seoul Arts Center Opera House in Seocho-dong) will be staged for the first time by a Korean ballet company, marking a milestone for the National Ballet Company. It was a representative piece of Artistic Director Kang Sue-jin during her active career, and through this work, she became the first Asian to win the “Benois de la Danse” award.
Based on French author Alexandre Dumas fils’s novel “The Lady of the Camellias,” it tells the tragic love story of the main characters, Marguerite and Armand, in a lyrical and intense manner. The music by Romantic composer Chopin enhances the tender and passionate emotions of the protagonists.
The “Kylian Project” (June 26-29 at GS Performance Hall in Yeoksam-dong) includes “Forgotten Land,” “Sechs Tänze,” and “Falling Angels,” which is being introduced in Korea for the first time. This project offers a diverse glimpse into Kylian’s artistic choreography.
The National Ballet Company will also stage Neumeier’s “The Little Mermaid” (August 13-17 at the Seoul Arts Center Opera House), which received acclaim during its premiere last year, as well as the quintessential Romantic ballet “Giselle” (choreographed by Patrice Bart, November 12-16), and “The Nutcracker” (choreographed by Yuri Grigorovich, December 13-25).
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the “KNB Movement Series,” a project to foster choreographers within the National Ballet Company, selected pieces from past presentations will be showcased in “History of KNB Movement Series” at the Seoul Arts Center Studio Theater.