The Bolshoi Ballet Academy plans to open its Korea branch in Songdo International Business District, a new city built on reclaimed land on the west coast of Incheon.

The Russian institution, one of the oldest and best-known schools for classical ballet, reportedly signed an MOU with Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority in Moscow to open a Korea branch.

Local ballet troupe Universal Ballet Company told The Korea Herald that it was collaborating with the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in creating the programs for the school’s Korea branch, which will be housed in Songdo Global University where the State University of New York’s Korea branch is also located.

The school is expected to offer undergraduate degrees in dance and choreography, and teaching certification programs. About 60 students will be admitted each year, once the school opens in the next two years. The school also plans to eventually offer graduate programs.

The Bolshoi Ballet Academy boasts more than 230 years of history, and many of its alumni are world-class dancers including Maya Plisetskaya, Maria Kochetkova and Kim Joo-won.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)