EunWon Lee

EunWon Lee is a South Korean ballet dancer. She was a former principal dancer with the Korea National Ballet and currently dances with The Washington Ballet.

EunWon Lee
Born
Seoul, South Korea
EducationKorea National University of Arts
OccupationBallet dancer
Years active2010 – Present
Current groupThe Washington Ballet
Former groupsKorea National Ballet
Korean name
Hangul
Revised RomanizationI Eunwon
McCune–ReischauerYi Ŭnwŏn
Websitewww.eunwon-lee.com

Early life and education

Lee was born and raised in South Korea. She discovered ballet at the age of seven, after attending a performance of The Nutcracker with her parents.[1] She enrolled in ballet classes and later became a student at the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts, a competitive arts middle school, and at Ye Won Art School. She skipped high school and entered university at the age of sixteen. Lee received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Korea National University of Arts in Seoul.[2]

Career

Lee joined the Korea National Ballet as an apprentice in 2010.[2] She injured her knee when she was eighteen years old and had to take time off from the company.[3][1] She was promoted to principal dancer at the age of twenty-one in 2012, making her the youngest principal dancer at the Korea National Ballet. She was a principal dancer for six years.[4] As a principal, Lee became a celebrity in South Korea, even throwing the first pitch at a professional base ball game.[5] She danced the role of Katherina in John Cranko's Taming of the Shrew as her last performance with Korea National Ballet.[2] In 2016 she moved to the United States and joined The Washington Ballet under the new artistic leadership of Julie Kent.[2][6] Her debut with The Washington Ballet was in the ballet Giselle.[1]

She has danced the leading roles in Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, Giselle, Swan Lake, Don Quixote, La Bayadère, Spartacus, Raymonda, L'Arlésienne, The Nutcracker, The Seventh Symphony, The Sleeping Beauty, Prince Ho Dong, Holberg Pas de deux, Tchaikovsky and Poise.[7][8][9][3][10][11]

Awards
  • Prima Ballerina Award – Korean Ballet Association (2014, South Korea)[7][8]
  • New Artist Award – Korean Ballet Association (2013, South Korea)[12]
  • Senior Silver Medal & Prima Ballerina Award – Korean Ballet Association (2011, South Korea)[12]
  • Junior Bronze Medal – Varna Ballet Competition (2008, Bulgaria)[12]
  • Junior Silver Medal – Shanghai Ballet Competition (2007, China)[12]
  • Grand Prix, Junior Gold Medal – Seoul International Ballet Competition (2006, South Korea)[12]
  • Elegance Award – Vaganova Prix International Competition (2006, Russia)[12]
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References
  1. Kwon Mee-yoo (2016-07-03). "Lee Eun-won's new adventure on pointed toes". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  2. "Don't Let Your Floor Become a Slippery Slope!". Pointe. 2018-08-06.
  3. "EunWon Lee: Latest Ballet Exploits Of South Korea's Former Ballerina In Newfound US Home". koreaportal. 2017-10-07. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  4. Kaufman, Sarah, L. (2017-10-05). "She was South Korea's superstar ballerina. Now, she's given it up to try to make it in America". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-10-21.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Farris, Danny. "Ballerina Lee Eun-won's First Pitch". MLB.com. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  6. "About EunWon Lee". EunWon Lee. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  7. "Eun Won Lee". Washington Ballet. 2016-07-13. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  8. Kaufman, Sarah, L. (2016-07-13). "Washington Ballet hires Korean National Ballet principal". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-10-21.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. "Star-crossed Lovers". Fjord Review. 2018-02-20. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  10. "The Washington Ballet: John Cranko's Romeo & Juliet - CriticalDance". criticaldance.org. 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  11. "Washington Ballet – Les Sylphides, Le Corsaire pdd, Bolero, Prodigal Son". Washington Ballet. 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  12. "About EunWon Lee". EunWon Lee. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
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