16-year-old Park Youn-jae becomes first Korean male ballet dancer to win prestigious award
Ballet dancer Park Youn-jae described winning the prestigious Prix de Lausanne as a precious experience that brought him “closer to ballet.”
"Ballet is something you can spend years doing and still struggle to feel connected to," Park said at a press conference held at Arts Center Seoul Doam in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Wednesday. "Every now and then, a rare opportunity comes along to bridge that gap, and for me, Lausanne was that moment."
The 16-year-old Seoul Arts High School student became the first Korean dancer in 18 years to win the prestigious competition, which is open to dancers aged 15-18. Etoile Park Sae-eun of Paris Opera Ballet won the prize in 2007.
He is also the first Korean male dancer ever to claim the top prize, the best young talent award.
For one thing, the six-day event made Park rethink his insecurities about his physique.
"I grew up hearing that my legs were too thick, that they made me look heavy," he said. "But in Lausanne, (people told me) my legs were beautiful. It made me realize once again that what truly matters in dance isn’t the body type, but how you express yourself and move the audience."
"At the end of the day, ballet is an art performed by people, not robots," he added. "It’s about individuality, courage and believing in yourself. That’s what really matters."
In the finals, Park performed the classical variation “Flames of Paris” and the contemporary piece “Rain,” pieces which he believed best showcased his strengths -- flexibility, musicality and turns.
Despite the high stakes of the competition, Park said he wasn’t particularly nervous.
"My only focus was to express myself to the audience without regrets. Instead of thinking, ‘I must perform well,’ I approached it with the mindset of ‘I want to enjoy this moment.’ If you’re too fixated on doing well, you end up too tense to convey emotions properly."
While multiple international ballet schools extended invitations, Park has yet to decide on his next step.
Founded in 1973, the Prix de Lausanne is a prestigious international competition for young dancers. In 1985, Kang Sue-jin, now the artistic director of the Korea National Ballet, became the first Korean to earn a scholarship at the competition. Korean winners include Choi Yu-hui in 2002, Kim Yu-jin in 2005 and Park Sae-eun in 2007.
hwangdh@heraldcorp.com
