Kang Hohyun, School of Dance, Promoted to Premier Danseur in Paris Opera Ballet

Ballerina Kang Hohyun (age 29), a current member of the Paris Opera Ballet and alumna of the School of Dance, has been promoted to Premier Danseur (Première Danseuse), the second-highest position at the Paris Opera Ballet.

According to the announcement on the official website of the Paris Opera Ballet, Kang Hohyun and several of her colleagues received promotions on January 1^st. The positions within the Paris Opera Ballet are classified into five levels: quadrille (a member of group dances), coryphée (a leader of group dances), sujet (a soloist dancer), premiere danseur (second-highest dancer), and étoile (the principal dancer).

Kang Hohyun majored in ballet throughout her student life at Yewon School, Seoul Arts High School, and K-Arts. In 2017, she joined the Paris Opera Ballet as a temporary member and soon advanced to a permanent position the following year. She was promoted to coryphée in 2019 and sujet in 2023. Kang’s upcoming performance is “The Sleeping Beauty,” choreographed by Rudolf Nureyev and scheduled for March.

Additionally, Park Se-eun, another K-Arts alumna, currently serves as an étoile at the Paris Opera Ballet. In June 2021, after 10 years with the company, Park became the first Asian dancer to achieve the rank in its 352-year history. Ballerina Lee Ye-eun, who also studied in the Department of Dance Performance, joined the Paris Opera Ballet last July.