Korea National Ballet

rdf:langString Korea National Ballet

rdf:langString The Korea National Ballet is a South Korean ballet company. It was founded in 1962 in Seoul as the National Ballet Company. It was one of the affiliates of the National Theater of Korea until 1999, when it separated to independently reestablish itself in the Seoul Arts Center in the following year. It has sixty-five dancers, chosen annually through open audition. There are currently 80 members in the company, including regular members, associate members, and trainees. Equipped with the nation's top dancers and diverse repertoires, the Korea National Ballet has taken the lead in developing the field of performance. Welcoming artistic director Tae-ji Choi who was reappointed in 2011, the Korea National Ballet reflects on its past achievements done under the slogan of Globalization, Refinement and Popularization of ballet for the past half century. Overseas tours have included performances in Egypt and Israel in 1997, China in 2000 and 2001, Japan in 2002, and more recent trips to Russia. One of the prima ballerinas of the company, Joo-won Kim was the winner of the BENOIS de la DANSE prize 2006. In 2007, the company disciplined her for having appeared topless in a Korean fashion magazine. The company said she had engaged in employment outside her contract.,