India a land of fantasy and mystery: Korean ballet director

A rare 19th century classic set in India, is the pick of the famed Korean National Ballet, which staged its debut performance in the country as part of the 40 year celebrations of Indo-Korean diplomatic ties.
"La Bayadere" (An Indian Dancer), revolving around a tale of star-crossed lovers and first choreographed by the French choreographer Marius Petipa in 1877 has been staged by several operas across the world.
"India is a land of fantasy and mystery for us thus we are curious to know more about the country and its culture. We have huge expectations from India. We are here to learn more about this place," says Tae-ji Choi, Artistic Director, Korean National Ballet.

For their first staging in India, the Korean National Ballet stringed together a four-part repertory that enacted the traditional Korean tale "Princess Nakrang and Prince Hodong" , which entwines mythology and legend.
The ballet depicts the struggle between the people of Han represented by Nakrang and the Goguryeo represented by Hodong.
Terming the initiative as a step towards people-to-people interaction, Joon-gyu Lee, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea says the performance was aimed at winning the hearts of Indians.

"Over the years, the texture and content of Korea-India bilateral relations have undergone a sea change. From the routine government-to-government engagement, the relations have expanded to more dynamic people-to-people interaction," he told PTI in an interview.

"The visiting Korean troupes are sure to win the hearts of the Indian people by their superb performances, thus bringing our two peoples even closer," says Joon-gyu Lee.
Artistic Director Tae-ji Choi who was awarded "Paradise Prize" in 2008 for her outstanding contribution to the discipline says ballet is not popular in India.
"Ballet is not a popular art form in India. We want to show our Indian audiences that ballet doesn't require any language as it is a global art form. We want to explore and experiment and see in what all fields of art and culture we can collaborate with the Indian artists," she says.