The love story between the righteous pirate Conrad and the innocent maiden Medora will be set on stage by the 19th-century English Romantic poet Lord Byron. The Korean National Ballet will perform “Le Corsair” at the Seoul Arts Center’s (SAC) Opera Theater from April 20 to 24. The 1899 choreography of “Le Corsair” by French choreographer Marius Petipa has been recreated by several artists. The Korean National Ballet is showcasing its new production of “Le Corsair” from 2020 with its own choreography, narration and music.
This season, principal dancer dancer Heo Seo-myong, 32, and soloist Shim Hyeon-hee, 30, will play Conrad and Medora, respectively. This is the second time Conrad is playing while Shim will make his debut as Medora. The duo made their first stage performance at the Chuncheon Culture and Art Center on 1 April and received a standing ovation from the audience.
“It was my first time so I was very nervous. But Seo-myeong helps me relax and unwind,” Shim said on Tuesday during an interview with The Dong-e Ilbo. “I was so excited during the performance but after it was all over, I was so out of it,” Shim said with a smile.
“The audience probably didn’t notice, but Hyeon-hee was completely terrified at first,” Heo said. “It’s not easy to shrink nerves, but she quickly became herself on stage like a pro.”
The choreography of “Le Corsair”, which was recently created by former Korean National Ballet soloist and choreographer Song Jeong-bin, requires a high level of skill and physical strength. It is notorious for being difficult among ballet dancers as it is full of difficult dance sequences, ranging from 34–38 foot turns, to a high level of lift.
“Because it’s full of constant moves, we can only take a short break while the audience applauds. So the longer the applause, the better because we can relax,” Heo joked.
“It is technically difficult, but we must also focus on expressing the feeling of love. We have to make eye contact and smile at each other while dancing,” Shim said. needs attention.”
Both said that they are busy practicing pas de deux whenever they have time. He states that he pays special attention to the pas de deux in the bedroom in Act 3, a dance between lovers.
“When the pas de deux begins, Medora enters the bedroom leaning on Conrad. But we decided to make a small change here,” Heo said. “When the shy Medora hesitates to enter, Conrad grabs her hand and leads her into the room.”
“We decided to make this change after discussing the scene during practice. We talked about how a girl reacts when someone is in love with her and how two people in love hold hands,” Shim said.
Heo and Shim, who went to Sunhwa Arts High School together, have known each other for over 10 years and are now performing on stage together as members of the Korean National Ballet.
Ji-hoon Lee [email protected]
