Gold medalist guest ballerina arrives in SA for Cinderella
Jin Ho Won in her Gold medal winning performance at CTIBC 2012. Photo by Pat Bromilow-Downing
South Africans first saw South Korean ballerina Jin Ho Won (21) when she won her double gold medals in the senior division of the Cape Town International Ballet Competition in 2012. Now she has returned, this time to Johannesburg, as a guest ballerina in South African Mzansi Ballet’s new production of Cinderella, alternating in the title role with the local SAMB principal dancers.
Jin Ho Won studied both in South Korea and at American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York. She has also danced extensively in South Korea and with American Ballet Theatre 2 in the USA, and will now be able to add South Africa to the list as she takes part in SAMB’s new full-length ballet.
Apart from her award-winning performances at the Cape Town International Ballet Competition, she’s also danced in the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, the Youth America Grand Prix in New York, the Beijing International Competition and you can watch her in this video, where she received a gold medal at the Seoul International Dance Competition…
All-new production of Cinderella
Artistic director Iain MacDonald has choreographed the ballet to the sparkling melodies of Johann Strauss II. SAMB tells us that the lilting and charming sounds of Strauss’ only full-length ballet score will be heard in Johannesburg for the first time, replacing the more familiar Prokofiev music.
The ballet company’s previous production of Cinderella broke box-office records in 2009 and the 2013 staging promises new delights with Strauss’ sumptuous melodies, new choreography and re-imagined sets by designer Andrew Botha.
Cinderella is also the first production to be presented by the company since the announcement in June of generous funding from the City of Johannesburg. (Read more on that here: Funding and future name change announced by SAMB)
The casting is still to be announced, but in the meantime, you’ll have an opportunity to see Jin Ho Won in rehearsals at an Open Day at the SAMB Studios at the Joburg Theatre on Saturday 31 August from 10am to 1pm. Booking is through Edgar Moagi on (0)11 877 6898 or edgar@samzansiballet.com.
Or, for those not in Johannesburg, here’s another video of Jin Ho Won from her performance as Kitri (Don Quixote) from the Beijing International Ballet Competition. Enjoy!
Category: Dance News
