Born: 1987
Nationality: South Korean
Education: Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto and Yewon Art School in Seoul
Career: Joined the Royal Danish Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 2014 and was promoted to soloist in 2018
Highlights from the repertoire with the Royal Danish Ballet:
The Countess in Liam Scarlett’s Queen of Spades, Princess Aurora in Christopher Wheeldon's Sleeping Beauty, Odette/Odile in Nikolaj Hübbe's Swan Lake, Cinderella in Gregory Dean's Cinderella, the principal couple in Façades in Jerome Robbins' Glass Pieces, the Sugarplum Fairy in George Balanchine's Nutcracker, the pas de six from Napoli by Nikolaj Hübbe and Sorella Englund after August Bournonville, Wayne McGregor’s AfteRite, Jiří Kylián’s 27’52” and Falling Angels, Akram Khan’s Vertical Road, Alexander Ekman’s Cacti, Emerald walking pas de deux from George Balanchine's Jewels, and the Queen of Dryads from Nikolaj Hübbe's Don Quixote.
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What is your favourite ballet?
Onegin by John Cranko – I immediately fell in love with this ballet when I first saw it when I was 15. Ever since then, it has been my favorite ballet, and the role Tatiana has been my dream role. The music, the story, and the choreography, I love everything about this ballet.
Why do you think ballet is still relevant today?
Ballet has taught me how to live my life: to be humble because the power and beauty of art are so much bigger than who I am; to be patient because things don’t always work out the way I want them to, but eventually they will work out the way they are meant to be if I don’t give up on myself; and to be grateful for everything because I know how it feels not to be able to do what I love to do, and being able to dance is a miracle for me. Pablo Picasso said that ¨Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life,¨ and, through my art form of dance, I hope to help create moments like these for our audiences.
Read more about Ji Min Hong:
Instagram: @jimin_hong_westerby