The Universal Ballet Company chose modern ballet, not classic, to open its 2012 season.

Its show “This is Modern 3” on Feb. 18-19 at the Universal Arts Center in Neung-dong, eastern Seoul, offers four modern dances by established choreographers from around the world.

It is the third installment of UBC’s “This is Modern” series. The company has been introducing a variety of noted contemporary ballets since 2001 through the series as well as the “An Evening of Contemporary Ballet” show. 

The upcoming show is composed of works that were particularly popular with the audience in past seasons. It features Jiri Kylian’s “Petite Mort” and “SECHS TANZE,” William Forsythe’s “In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated” and Ohad Naharin’s “MINUS 7.”

“‘This is Modern 3’ presents us with elegance and humor, coldness and impulse, and wit and passion. The ballets stimulate our senses and our emotions, taking us to a place and mood that we do not usually encounter in classical ballet,” said a PR official of UBC.

“Minus 7,” especially, is known to have been loved by the Korean audience, generating lot of fan mail to UBC.

Before the curtain goes up, Julia Moon, general director of UBC, will give a brief pre-curtain talk on how to enjoy modern ballet in an effort to help the audience better understand the program.

After the Seoul show, the performance will be staged at Parthenon Tama Cultural Center in Tokyo from Feb. 28-29 and also at The National Theater in Taipei in Taiwan from April 14-15.

For the Seoul show, tickets range from 10,000-70,000 won. For more information, visit www.uac.co.kr. For group inquiries, call (070) 7124-1737.

By Park Min-young (claire@heraldcorp.com)