Yeom Da-yeon, winner of the audience favorite award and second scholarship, performs her classical variation during the final of the 54th Prix de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland, in February. (Prix de Lausanne)
Yeom Da-yeon, winner of the audience favorite award and second scholarship, performs her classical variation during the final of the 54th Prix de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland, in February. (Prix de Lausanne)

Seventeen-year-old ballerina Yeom Da-yeon, who won second prize and the audience favorite award at the 54th Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland in February, will join the Boston Ballet as a company member.

Yeom came into the spotlight after her win, training under her father and mentor, Yeom Ji-hoon, a former ballerino and head of Ballet West, through homeschooling — quite an unconventional path compared to attending an arts high school.

She gained early stage experience, notably performing the lead role in a full-length production of "Giselle" at age 16, becoming the youngest in the country to do so.

Yeom is set to depart for the US in August to join the Boston Ballet’s 2026-2027 season.

Before leaving, she will continue performing in Korea, including the lead role in “Mondrian” by Jeong Hyeong Il Ballet Creative on Friday at LG Arts Center in Seoul.


hwangdh@heraldcorp.com