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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

Fantastic Journey of Artistic Collaboration

“East Meets West” was a joint production performed by the Seoul Ballet Theater and the Nevada Ballet Theater, first at the National Theater of Korea, and then a week later across the Pacific at the Ham Hall in Las Vegas. The performance, which was the fruit of a working relationship between the two ballet companies that began in 2000, represented a new avenue for Korea-U.S. cultural exchange.

The Seoul Ballet Theater is a private ballet company that has performed actively in Korea and abroad, including tours of Italy, the United States, Japan, Turkey, Israel, and Serbia. Since its founding in 1995, the group has sought to promote the popularization of ballet and the export of Korea’s creative ballet works. The Nevada Ballet Theater is a government-supported ballet company that primarily performs in and around the Las Vegas area.



Cross-cultural Collaboration
The two ballet companies focus on the performance of creative ballet works. Their working relationship began in 2001, when the Nevada Ballet Theater invited Seoul Ballet Theater’s Resident Choreographer James Jeon to serve as a guest choreographer for “Line of Life,” an original creation of Jeon. Thereafter, the Nevada Ballet Theater has annually invited James Jeon to collaborate with the Las Vegas group. As a result of this relationship, the two ballet companies eventually agreed to implement a full-scale exchange project in early 2007.
The performance was designed to introduce representative works of each ballet company and then to jointly stage “Inner Moves,” one of the representative works of James Jeon. “Inner Moves,” which Jeon choreographed for the Nevada Ballet Theatre in 2002, premiered at the Judy Bailey Theater to an appreciative American audience. Of note, the wonderful harmony of Korean composer Chang Seok-mun’s music, the dancers’ energetic and passionate movements, James Jeon’s artistic choreography, and the dazzling three-dimensional lighting, were highly acclaimed by the local media, which published rave reviews of the “Inner Moves” premier.
After the curtain came down on the performance in Korea (March 14-15), the Seoul Ballet Theater members were off to Las Vegas. Soon after their arrival, in spite of their fatigue, they began practice sessions with the Nevada Ballet Theater. The weather in Las Vegas, which somewhat colder than usual, was more like a spring frost in Korea, rather than a desert climate. I was concerned about the physical condition of the members, as well as the unavailability of our regular support staff, who ordinarily handle the logistical and administrative details. To provide us with a chance to relax, the Nevada Ballet Theater hosted a welcome reception for us so that we could meet its board members, executive officials of its support association, and local figures.
The Nevada Ballet Theater was established in 1972 by former dancer Nancy Houssels and her husband Vassili Sulich. Many people wondered whether it could survive in Las Vegas, which is the center of world-famous show business and regular presentations of extravagant spectacles, of a grandeur beyond imagination. However, the dancers selected by the Academy of Nevada Ballet Theater, along with high-level and artistic performers from all over the world, have successfully staged an impressive repertory, comprised of traditional classics and original modern ballet works.



High Acclaim for Korean Ballet
The Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is part of an art center built in 1966. It is a large theater with a capacity of 1,000 seats, which made me wonder if we could attract enough viewers. However, a steady stream of people filed in and filled up all the seats. As the curtain rose, the Nevada Ballet Theater performed “The Class,” an original work of Bruce Steivel, who has served as artistic director of the Nevada Ballet Theater for about ten years, and had also collaborated with the Universal Ballet of Korea.
Then, the Seoul Ballet Theater presented a new 2008 work: “R.O.Y. Remembering of You…” To commemorate the partnership of the two ballet companies, the work was dedicated to Roy Tobias, a distinguished choreographer of Las Vegas, who passed away in 2006. The work expressed the human emotions of hope, love, happiness, and freedom to the lyrical melody of Brahms, a favorite composer of Tobias. At the conclusion of the performance, the audience responded with a standing ovation, in appreciation of the moving presentation and in memory of Roy Tobias.
As for the “Inner Moves” finale, it well fulfilled its purpose of providing an answer to the question of what happens when the East and West join together in this kind of performance. Indeed, it was rare opportunity to enjoy the sight of Western dancers executing the Korean-style movements choreographed by James Jeon, alongside Eastern dancers performing to the traditional Korean rhythm of Chang Seok-mun’s music.
Despite the brief practice time, the performance was smoothly presented because of the fact that ballet is form of body language, which is understood by performers worldwide.
In addition, the harmony created by the combined talents of the two ballet groups visibly energized the audience, which the performers sensed as well. The dynamic dance movements greatly impressed the audience. Of note, the inclusion of Korean performers added to the perfection of this presentation, as compared to the premier in 2002. Moreover, the rousing applause of an appreciative audience, even after the final curtain call, confirmed the vast potential for Korea’s creative ballet works and performers on the global stage.
After the performance, the head of the Nevada Ballet Theater said this was the best-ever performance and expressed a desire to conduct additional exchanges with the Seoul Ballet Theater when the Nevada Ballet Theater moves to the Smith Performing Arts Center, in 2011. In addition, the Arizona Ballet Theater expressed its interest in staging a James Jeon’s work, which marked another notable achievement of the performance. For me, the “East Meets West” collaborative project was like a flower that blossoms in the Nevada desert, managing to flourish in spite of considerable adversity. It was also a boost to my confidence and pride that Korea’s performing arts could be so successful outside of Korea.

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