A concept photo of "Gumiho" (M Ballet Company)
A concept photo of "Gumiho" (M Ballet Company)

The M Ballet Company, which has steadily developed original works rooted in Korean themes, will premiere its new production, “Gumiho,” on Saturday at Sowol Art Hall in Seongdong District, Seoul.

The premiere marks the company’s first new ballet in five years. In 2020, it introduced “May Wind,” inspired by the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising, and in 2015 staged the full-length ballet “An Jung-geun: A Dance in Heaven,” based on the life of the Korean independence activist.

This time, the company turns to one of Korea’s ancient legends: the nine-tailed fox, or gumiho. Rather than a menacing seductress who devours human livers -- the image that dominates popular imagination -- the ballet reimagines gumiho as a guardian spirit who brings prosperity to the mountains and villages.

Concept photos of "Gumiho" (M Ballet Company)
Concept photos of "Gumiho" (M Ballet Company)

The story centers on Suho, who presides over the mountains, while his younger brother, Aeho, falls in love with So-hwa, a woman possessed by a ghost. Their ill-fated romance unfolds as a tale of forbidden desire between mortal and spirit, fox and human, ending in tragedy.

The company’s artistic director Yang Young-eun, who choreographed, directed and wrote the piece, described it as “a fantasy ballet that crosses the boundary between love and curse, while blending classical ballet style with Korean mythology.” She hopes the work will become part of the company’s next-generation repertoire.

The score was composed by Nah Sirin, who will also conduct the live ensemble during the performance.

“Gumiho” will be performed twice on Saturday, at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.


hwangdh@heraldcorp.com