Hee Seo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hee Seo
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Seo curtain call for The Moor's Pavane on 8 November 2013
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| Born | 13 March 1986 |
| Education |
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| Occupation | Principal dancer |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Current group | American Ballet Theatre |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul |
서희
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| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Seo Hui |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sŏ Hŭi |
Hee Seo (born on March 13, 1986) is a famous ballet dancer from South Korea. She is a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT). This is one of the top ballet companies in the United States.
Hee Seo made history as the first Korean ballerina to become a principal dancer at ABT. This happened in the company's 75-year history. She was also one of the youngest dancers to reach this high level, becoming a principal at just 26 years old. Critics have praised her dancing style. The New York Times said her dancing shows "an unhurried purity." Vogue called her "unspeakably graceful." People often describe her style as "lyrical and open." She is also known for her "humility" and "unique feminine strength."
Hee Seo started learning Russian ballet when she was twelve. This is quite late for a ballet dancer. She has said she never planned to be a professional dancer. However, her teachers quickly saw her talent. Soon, she received full scholarships to study at famous ballet schools abroad. She gained more attention by winning a scholarship at the 2003 Prix de Lausanne. She also won the Grand Prix at the 2003 Youth America Grand Prix.
She quickly moved up through the ranks at ABT. She joined the ABT Studio Company and then the main company in May 2005. She became part of the corps de ballet in March 2006. Then she was promoted to soloist in August 2010. Finally, she was named a principal dancer in July 2012 by Kevin McKenzie, who was the artistic director of ABT. During her time at ABT, she has danced many main roles in both classical and contemporary ballet performances.
Early Life and Beginnings
Hee Seo was born in Seoul, South Korea. Her mother, aunt, and grandmother all studied fine arts. Hee and her two brothers learned piano and took swimming lessons. Seo has shared that she has a very close bond with her mother. This is partly because she did not have a sister.
When she was in middle school, Seo was the class president. She had a chance to enter a competition for the Sunhwa Arts School. She had only been dancing for six months and had not had formal ballet training. Still, she entered the competition and won a scholarship to attend Sunhwa. Her parents were worried about her leaving home at a young age. But one of her teachers convinced them. Seo studied there for one year. Then she left to train professionally in the United States.
Training and Professional Career
Hee Seo started her formal dance training at age twelve. This is considered a late start for a ballet dancer. Jillian Laub from movmnt magazine has said that Seo has "the perfect body for ballet." When she was thirteen, she was invited to study at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington DC. She received a full three-year scholarship to learn from Alla Sizova. Seo often says that Sizova was a very important mentor in her life. Jacqueline Akhmedova was also one of her teachers. Akhmedova helped her prepare for competitions. She said Seo was "the best student she has ever had."
In 2003, Seo won the Prix de Lausanne Award in Switzerland. This led to a scholarship offer from Reid Anderson to attend the John Cranko Schule. In the same year, Seo won the Grand Prix at the 2003 Youth America Grand Prix. John Meehan then asked her to join the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company. She stayed there for a year before becoming an apprentice with the American Ballet Theatre in May 2005.
At first, it was hard for Seo to join the ABT company. She had trained in the Russian style at Cranko. She needed to learn the "American style." Seo explained that "the ABT style is to leave the dancers alone." She added that "individual character matters here, and dance that lacks originality cannot survive." She was able to adjust with help from her mentors. They also helped her recover from a serious back injury. In March 2006, she was promoted to the corps de ballet. She became well-known in 2009 when she danced the main female roles in MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet, La Sylphide, and On the Dnieper. She first danced as Juliet on her twenty-third birthday. She said this was "one of [her] favorites." Cory Stearns, who was also a new corps de ballet member, danced as Romeo.
She became a soloist in August 2010. Then she was named a principal dancer in July 2012. She was the first Korean ballerina to become a principal dancer in ABT's 75-year history. At 26, she was also one of the company's youngest dancers to reach this level. Her promotion was special because she was one of only three principal dancers at the time who had started in the ABT Studio Company. Julia Moon, the Ballet Director of Universal Ballet, said that "Seo has incredible talent." She added that "I have never doubted that someday she would become a principal dancer at ABT." Critics from The New York Times, Dance Magazine, and KoreAm have noted Seo's "lyrical and open" style and "unique feminine strength."
Hee Seo's first performance as a Principal dancer in 2012 was as Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty. She also danced as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake. Seo has said that Swan Lake was her most challenging ballet. This famous classical ballet is known for being very difficult. The main ballerina dances two very different roles: Odette, the White Swan, and Odile, the Black Swan. In an interview, Seo said she "prefers the mental and physical challenge of full-length ballets." She found Swan Lake "physically and mentally exhausting, but so beautiful."
In 2014, Seo had the chance to dance many main roles. Three of ABT's senior principal ballerinas retired. This meant Seo took on several leading parts. In the 2016 ABT season, nearly ten years after her first lead role, she and fellow principal dancer Cory Stearns danced as Romeo and Juliet again. This was at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. Seo said, "when I dance with Cory, I feel like I’m going back to those years." Seo also danced as Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty again. Alastair Macaulay of The New York Times wrote that Seo's performance showed "the distinctiveness, elegance and authority of an important ballerina." She often dances with Roberto Bolle. This included Bolle's final performance with ABT.
Hee Seo models for Bloch and wears their pointe shoes. In an interview, Seo said she "carries three to six new pairs a day." She switches them during class and rehearsals to break them in. She also said she "can go through a pair a day once the shoes become too soft to support her feet."
Images for kids
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Hee Seo and Jared Matthews after dancing in Don Quixote on May 17, 2014
