The dancer I chose for the final project is Hee Seo. Hee Seo is a South Korean ballet dancer which is
part of the reason why I chose her for my project. Growing up, it was hard for me to find Asian
representation in the media. Once I watched ballet videos of Hee Seo and researched her early life and
achievements, I knew I had to do my project on her. Her story is so inspiring to many, especially Asian
Americans like myself because ballet is less common in Asian countries. I also think she represents the
graceful and lyrical part of ballet perfectly which is my favorite type of ballet to watch. I especially loved
her Dance of the Sugar Plum fairy role in the ballet the Nutcracker.
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy Hee Seo American Ballet Theatre
Her graceful and delicate arm movements were mesmerizing and I could not take my eyes off of her.
Other than her dancing,Seo gives back to her community and supports where she came from through the Hee Seo foundation.
This gives free ballet classes to Korean dancers which is exactly where Seo came from.
Not only was she the youngest and first South Korean dancer to become principal dancer at ABT, she gives
back to the community with her foundation which I think is very important as a role model.
Hee Seo was born on March 13, 1986. She was born in Seoul, South Korea and grew up with her mother,
aunt, grandmother, and 2 brothers. When she was in middle school, she entered a competition and won a
scholarship to Sunhwa Arts School which is an arts academy in Seoul, South Korea. She had only been
dancing for 6 months prior and had started her formal ballet training at age 12. After a year in the Sunhwa
Arts School, she was thirteen years old when she was offered a three-year scholarship. Some of the teachers
Seo worked with was Alla Sizova at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington D.C. Alla Sizova was a
Russian ballet dancer who worked at Kirov. Seo stated that Sizova had a major influence on her and inspired
her on her dancing. Another teacher that Seo trained with was Jacqueline Akhmedova who helped train her
for many of her early competitions. Seo had won many awards in her youth including 2003 Prix de
Lausanne Award in Switzerland and Grand Prix at the 2003 Youth America Grand Prix in New York. She was offered a scholarship by Reid Anderson to attend the John Cranke Schule which is a German
ballet company. In May 2004, John Meehan, an Australian ballet director, offered Hee Seo to join the American
Ballet Theatre. She officially joined as an apprentice in May 2005. In March 2006, she joined the corps de
ballet which means she was a part of a group of dancers who are not principal dancers or soloists. Seo was
then promoted to soloist in August 2010 and finally to principal dancer in July 2012 at only age 26, the
youngest dancer to be promoted to principal dancer in ABT.
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| Hee Seo dancing with American Ballet Theatre |
As principal dancer, she was the highest rank
within that ballet company. She was the first South Korean to hold such a role as principal dancer in
American Ballet Theatre history. Before becoming principal dancer, she performed the Sylph in La
Sylphide, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and Natalia in On the Dnipro, which were all the female leads in 2009.
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| Hee Seo and Cory Stearns in Romeo and Juliet |
She gained lots of attention from all of these roles and even stated that playing Juliet was one of her favorite
roles. Some notable choreographers she worked with are Frederick Ashton in Cinderella and James Kudelka’s
Cinderella.
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| Hee Seo and James Whiteside in Cinderella |
Hee Seo has been ballet dancing for 25 years and is still currently dancing with American Ballet
Theatre today at age 37.
their ballet careers and work with company schools. This foundation teaches over 1000 Korean students free
master classes.
Dancers of the Hee Seo Foundation
This is a remarkable organization who can bring talent to many Koreans who do not get the
privilege to showcase it. Another fact about Hee Seo is about her style of dancing. Seo dances dramatically
yet very delicate which is shown especially through her arm movements. It is as if you can see her as a
person just through her dancing. One of her dance partners, Mr. Hammoudi has stated, It’s a dream for a
partner to have somebody like that.”
Hee Seo and Alexander Hammoudi
The shapes happen so naturally.” Seo brings life to
the stage and inspires her audience and the dancers she dances with. One last interesting fact is her
appreciation for traditional ballet around the world. She danced Giselle with Ballet Nacional de Cuba in
2021. She stated that it was difficult to adjust to the different country standards and communicating was
hard. Seo still appreciated their enthusiasm and plentiful knowledge of ballet and made her appreciate
traditional ballet even more.
As one can see, I chose Hee Seo for my final project because I see myself in her as another Asian American and her major impacts on the ballet world today. Her tough ballet journey as seen through her
graceful dance performances is inspiring to many. Her many awards such as becoming the first South Korea
n in American Ballet Theatre and the youngest in 75 years to become principal dancer and many other ballet
awards in her youth has made her the strong dancer I look up to. She represents the graceful and lyrical side
of ballet, especially for her Dance of the Sugar Plum fairy. Not only is she an extremely talented dancer, she
also has extreme dedication to her South Korean community which is shown through her commitment to the
Hee Seo Foundation. This foundation makes a huge impact on young Korean ballet dancers because they
now have the ability to succeed in the dance world through free ballet classes. This empowers these aspiring
dancers which shows that Seo is generous to give back to them. Today, Hee Seo is still a dedicated ballet
dancer with American Ballet Theatre and is continuing to showcase her graceful ballet abilities and inspire
even more dancers.
Works Cited
Baiano, Erin. “Hee Seo - ABT.” American Ballet Theatre, https://www.abt.org/people/hee-seo/. Accessed 22 October 2023.
Kourlas, Gia. “Hee Seo, American Ballet Theater Principal.” The New York Times, 3 May 2013, https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/05/arts/dance/hee-seo-american-ballet-theater-principal.html. Accessed 22 October 2023.
Rubin, Hanna. “Why ABT Principal Hee Seo Loves the Art of Giving Back.” Pointe Magazine, 15 April 2019, https://pointemagazine.com/hee-seo-abt/. Accessed 22 October 2023.
Yuna, Park. “Star ballerina Seo Hee talks on loving yourself and others.” Life&Culture, 2019. Korea Heral, https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191127000599.
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