Ahn
Joo Won Is Now a Principal Dancer at the ABT
Ballet dancer Ahn
Joo Won, a graduate of the School of Dance, promoted to Principal Dancer at the
American Ballet Theatre (ABT). After Seo Hee, the first Korean female ballet
dancer to be a Principal Dancer at ABT in 2012, Ahn is the first Korean male
ballet dancer to be a principal dancer at ABT. He made this accomplishment in
six years since he had joined ABT and in a year since he had promoted to
Soloist. The ABT is one of the top-class classical ballet companies around the
world along with Mariinsky Ballet (Russia), Bolshoi Ballet (Russia), Paris
Opera Ballet (France), and Royal Ballet (UK).
As an enrolled
student at the Korea National University of Arts in 2013, Ahn joined ABT Studio
Company (formerly ABT II) after winning the Gold Medal at Youth America Grand
Prix in New York City and. After six months, he joined ABT as an apprentice in
January 2014, and in another six months in the same year, he became a member of
the corps de ballet. In May 2018, he played the first title role in La
Bayadere. His promotion this time was also quick, considering he got
promoted to Soloist only last year. The ABT has about eighty members in total
composed of corps de ballet, Soloist, and Principal Dancer, and there are only
eight Principal Dancers each for males and females.
Ahn has been
staying in Korea since April in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak. In a
media interview, he said, “When I heard about promotion, it came as a total
surprise. I didn’t expect it at all because ABT is currently having the whole
seasons off due to the pandemic.” He commented, “I think many Korean ballet
dancers are making good performances on the global stage these days because we
have an excellent ballet education system in Korea. I also came to this
position thanks to great teachers and coworkers who helped me grow up.”
Besides, the ABT
has called off its seasons since this April. At this moment in time, Ahn is
planning on making a special appearance in the 2nd Ballet Festival Busan.
Photo by Rosalie O'Connor, Courtesy ABT