Korean ballerina Kang Sue-jin, the principal dancer of Germany’s Stuttgart ballet, was named juror for the 40th Prix de Lausanne, organizers said.

Created in 1973, the international ballet competition is for dancers aged 13-18 of all nationalities who are not yet professionals. It is one of the world’s five biggest ballet concours.

Prix de Lausanne put Kang herself in the spotlight of the ballet world when she won the top prize in 1985. She also served as a juror of the competition in 2006.

Kang, born in South Korea in 1967, began ballet at age 9. She left Korea to attend Monaco Royal Ballet School during high school. She joined Stuttgart, considered as one of the finest ballet troupes in the world, in 1986.

The competition will take place from Jan. 29 to Feb. 4 in Rosanne, Switzerland.

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