Newly promoted principal dancer Seo Hee to perform the lead roleFour years after the American Ballet Theatre charmed Seoulites with “Don Quixote” and “Rabbit and Rogue” in 2008, the renowned American troupe is back in Seoul this month to showcase their romantic ballet “Giselle.”The upcoming run is stirring even more excitement as the company’s Korean-born member Seo Hee, who is to perform the lead role, was promoted to principal member on Friday. She is the first Korean dancer to hold the positi

Korea’s legendary traditional folk dancer Gong Ok-jin died in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province, on Monday. She was 81.Gong, who was designated intangible cultural heritage, had been undergoing medical treatment for the last 14 years, after suffering a stroke in 1998. Born in 1931 in South Jeolla Province to a pansori artist family, Gong was once taught by the famous late modern dancer Choi Seung-hee (1911-1969) in Japan, and joined the Joseon Changgeukdan, a Korean traditional opera troupe, in

‘Kongchilpalsaesamryuk’ based on real-life suicide case of two young women in SeoulOn April 8, 1931, two young, sophisticated-looking women, dressed in Western clothes, approached the Yeongdeungpo train station in colonial Gyeongseong (today’s Seoul). The two walked toward the railroad tracks, smiling and cracking jokes ― as if on a picnic. When they saw a train steaming toward Incheon, however, they jumped in its path. They were killed instantly. One of two women was Hong Ok-im, the daughter of

The American Ballet Theater (ABT) has promoted its Korean-born ballerina Seo Hee to the position of principal dancer, the renowned U.S. troupe announced via its website on Friday. Seo is the first Korean dancer to hold the position. Seo’s promotion takes place just weeks before her “Giselle” Korean tour, which is scheduled to run from July 18-22.  The 26-year-old dancer joined ABT in 2004, became a member of its corps de ballet in March 2006 and was promoted to soloist in August 2010. Her repert

On Feb. 6, 1982, director Jung In-yeop’s legendary erotic romance “Madame Ae-ma” was released at the Seoul Cinema Theater in Jongno, central Seoul. The venue was completely packed with an excited crowd, and fierce competition for tickets ensued, resulting in broken windows. It was the first Korean movie to be screened late at night, after the nightly curfew had been lifted exactly one month before. The sexually explicit film, which is considered one of the iconic works of 1980s Korean cinema, dr

The Thieves (Korea)Opening July 25Crime. Action. Directed by Choi Dong-hun. Anycall (Gianna Jun), Popeye (Lee Jung-jae), Chewing Gum (Kim Hae-sook) and Zampano (Kim Soo-hyun) are professional thieves who work together. After their success in a gallery heist, the group hears that Popeye’s old partner and mastermind of robbery Macao Park is back for another job after many years of missing. Pepsi (Kim Hye-soo), a genius safecracker and old flame of Macao Park, decides to join the group to settle th

Behind the wheel of his tour bus, Don Baisa prays.Please. Give me George Clooney today, he thinks as tourists scramble aboard the 12-seat, open-top van marked “City Tours!”Or Charlize Theron. Or Jennifer Aniston.Will Ferrell. He’d take Will Ferrell.Baisa, a 61-year-old veteran of the tour bus scene with a neatly groomed, salt-and-pepper mustache, knows what his passengers want during their two-hour journey through Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Spotting stars means big tips. One day, after Ryan Se

American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across AmericaBy Michelle Obama (Crown)Michelle Obama can recall a time when she “had no idea that tomatoes didn’t come in green plastic trays, covered by cellophane and that they could be any color other than pale red.”She’s come a long way, and now she is working to bring the rest of us with her. Her efforts to garden on the White House lawn and to involve people all over the country in growing food are the subject of her

Korean DanceBy Kim MalborgTranslated by Lee Jean-young (Ewha Womans University Press)Although local ballet troupes have developed their original Korean repertoires ― such as “Shim Chung” and “Prince Hodong”― and received enthusiastic reviews overseas, little is known about traditional Korean dance in the international dance scene.For those who are interested in exploring the world of Korea’s traditional dance, local scholar Kim Malborg’s English-translated book, “Korean Dance” is a useful guide.

The Rock Bottom Remainders played their last gig recently, and the guy on bass guitar knew it would be a heartbreaker. Still, Ridley Pearson was typically upbeat.“We spent 20 years having a great time and raising $2 million for charity. It was such a labor of love.”When talking about work, family, friends ― even his adopted city of St. Louis ― most everything seems to be a labor of love for Pearson.His default mode is optimistic, says his friend Jim Bogart, development manager for the St. Louis

SICAF 2012 to feature 300 animated  films, diverse cartoon exhibitionsSome 300 animated films, diverse cartoon exhibitions and business workshops for anime-artists are to take place in Korea’s capital this month, offering entertainment for viewers and market opportunities for artists.The annual Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival (SICAF) opens on July 18 in several locations in Seoul, the festival’s organizing committee announced last week. The festival this year is divided into t

UBC’s principal dancer Ahn Ji-eun to star in Kenneth MacMillan’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’She’s done “Swan Lake,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “Nutcracker.”But many local ballet fans will remember ballerina Ahn Ji-eun as Shim Chung, the girl who pays off her blind father’s debts by selling herself to sailors and later plunges into the sea.The Korean folktale ballet, which is also the signature repertoire of Korea’s Universal Ballet Company, also remains the 36-year-old dancer’s favorite for its rich theatrica

Filmmaker and theater director recounts making of his 1995 noir play ‘Heotang’For those familiar with filmmaker and theater director Jang Jin and his sense of humor, his 1995 play “Heotang,” currently on its third run in Seoul, could come as a surprise.The show, which Jang wrote at the age of 21 while serving his military duty, is anything but a comedy: filled with violence and surveillance, the disturbing play evokes the horrors of materialistic modern life. “I wrote the play more than 20 years

How do you look refined and fresh under the scorching heat? Check out the latest summer make-up trends forecast by the experts. According to Byeon Myeong-suk, principal makeup artist at MAC Cosmetics Korea, the key is to look healthy and sophisticated at the same time.“The trend is to have pops of neon color and a metallic touch on fresh, healthy-looking skin,” said Byeon.One of the two sample looks given by MAC Cosmetics Korea consists of applying neon baby blue eye shadow, black eyeliner and n

Cosmetic brands offer hands-on beauty classesIt’s a quiet Sunday morning in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul, and most of the high-end shops in the area are closed. But about eight women show up exactly at 10 a.m., at the MAC Cosmetics’ Apgujeong-dong store. All of them are wearing no make-up, not even a dab of mascara, and are dressed casually in T-shirts or summer dresses.  They are here to attend their weekly make-up class offered by MAC Cosmetics. One of them is Kang Mi-jung, 42, who last year

The Amazing Spider-Man (U.S.)Opened June 28Action. Thriller. Directed by Marc Webb. Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) lives with his uncle and aunt after his parents disappeared when he was little. One day, Peter discovers a mysterious suitcase his father used to carry. He decides to find the secret behind his parents’ disappearance. Peter encounters his father’s former partner Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) and acquires special powers by accident. With Peter’s help, Dr. Connors completes his resear

“People Like Us” is a well-acted weeper that walks an unsteady line between the emotional and the darkly comical.It’s about a guy who realizes he has a half sister, and who injects himself into her life without explaining who he is. He befriends her kid, encourages her through substance abuse recovery and sets up to help her financially.Since he’s the handsome and charming Chris Pine and she’s the fetching and approachable Elizabeth Banks, somebody is sure to get the wrong idea. Which is the “da

Not every home in Douglas Frey’s book, “Marietta, the Gem City of Georgia,” is a splendor of architecture that immediately stirs images of its period the way antebellum evokes the Civil War and Victorian conjures street cars and suffragettes.Some homes are just working stiffs. And that’s the way it should be, said Frey, 46, who became an accidental historian and author after he and wife Rachel Bowen bought a rundown, 111-year-old Queen Anne on Trammell Street in Marietta in 1998 and he started r

Newly named UNICEF Korea’s goodwill ambassador, best-selling writer ‘grateful’ for her new missionAfter the sensational success of her novel “Please Look after Mom” overseas, author Shin Kyung-sook is taking on a new role as an ambassador for children.“I am grateful for this opportunity to serve for children in need,” the author said after being appointed as the new goodwill ambassador of UNICEF Korea on Wednesday.Shin is the second writer to serve in the position, after late author Park Wan-suh

Remains of agricultural tools used in the Neolithic period as well as a farming site, which are presumed to be East Asia’s oldest, have been found in Goseong, Gangwon Province, according to the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage.According to the institute, the discovery of the archaeological traces, which mostly consist of pieces of earthenware, proves people living on the Korean Peninsula started cultivating crops during the Neolithic period. Along with the stoneware pieces, the i