The Words of the Han Family
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The Words of the Han Family |
For nine-year-old Kim, dancing again was a dream come true, as she had never imagined she would stand on stage again.
The young girl, who wanted to be identified by only her last name, will start training to become a ballerina, thanks to a scholarship arranged by the Universal Ballet Company in Seoul.
"We wanted to celebrate the troupe's 25th anniversary with something special, and when I learned about Gustavo Dudamel and El Sistema, where he learned music, I instantly came up with the idea for "Ballet El Sistema," said Julia H. Moon, the company's general director, during an interview with The Korea Times early this month.
The famed Venezuelan conductor Dudamel studied under the publicly financed music education program, El Sistema, when he was young, along with other young aspiring musicians from poor socio-economic backgrounds. His success made headlines worldwide, and he later returned to El Sistema to continue work with the program.
"Ballet El Sistema" began in April. The company first invited more than 500 underprivileged children to watch the troupe's "La Bayadere," and then received applications from about 30 students who were interested in ballet. In June, Moon and the ballet masters of the Universal Ballet Academy held an audition and finally decided on Kim.
"We didn't have any expectations even when we were holding the audition. Ballet requires many things, from musicality, acting and dancing skills to physical strength. Kim was not only pretty and strong, but she concentrated on every movement we asked of her. There was something about her that captivated us," Moon said.
Kim and her family are from North Korea. They arrived in Seoul eight months ago to escape poverty, and have been busy adjusting to life in the South.
Contemplating future careers for their daughters? the aspiring ballerina is the younger of the two sisters? had seemed like a distant dream. But Kim's mother, Ku, said that Kim was actually an aspiring dancer and musician back home in the North. The mother asked that the daughter not be interviewed.
"She was always interested in music and dance, and she started playing the piano and other instruments at the age of four. She would come back home and practice in front of the mirror," Ku, who wished only to be identified by her surname, told The Korea Times during an interview at a welfare center in Sinjeong-dong, northern Seoul.
Ku explained that in the North, training to be polished enough to appear on television was a great challenge.
"They are very strict. The children have to learn quickly, and sometimes the trainers punish them when they are not good, even hit them. They need to show how well they trained the children, so they sometimes get carried away," she said.
But Kim was always the first among students to learn a new song or dance. While others fell behind, she was always ready for the next move, which was why she was chosen to enter a national competition, where she won second prize and also appeared on television.
But plans took a turn as the family decided to flee the communist country, signaling the end of the colorful stages and costumes for Kim.
Fortunately, Kim was "discovered" by one of the missionaries working at the welfare center, and that was when she was chosen as one of the girls to participate in UBC's program.
The greatest goal for the program is potentially staging Kim as one of the young dancers in "The Nutcracker" in the future, and according to Moon, this is certainly possible, perhaps even as the main character, Clara.
But Ku was not sure if she wanted Kim to join the troupe and start dancing all over again in a completely different atmosphere. As it turned out, she had no choice.
"As soon as she came home after watching the ballet performance, she told me she wanted to start over. She seemed excited to see everything again, from the costumes and makeup to the music and stage. I was hesitant at first because I was worried it would be too much, but Kim was firm: She wanted to dance," she said, smiling. She added that every night, Kim would stand in front of the mirror and mimic the ballerinas, holding her skirt and moving her fingers to the music.
The program by UBC is planned to take place once every five years.
"We want to fully support the children until they go to high school, so it will take both money and time. We don't want to be hasty and we really hope they will be able to shine as dancers," Moon said.
She added that she felt a great sense of responsibility, as the children will start out as blank canvases. In the case of Kim, Moon said the young dancer was indeed a surprise, even a miracle.
"It was a pleasant, and also meaningful surprise. It means a lot that we have found someone like Kim for our first program. Imagine her all grown up as a successful ballerina and performing in North Korea!" Moon said.
For Ku, it was more than just her daughter becoming a ballerina.
"I want my little girl to be happy. If she is willing to go for it, the family and I are going to support her all the way," she said, smiling.
Written by staff reporter of The Korea Times.