Ballerina Park Sae Eun Becomes the First Asian Étoile of Paris Opera Ballet

On June 10th, ballerina Park Sae Eun, who studied at the School of Dance, wrote a history of being the first Asian ballerina to obtain the title Danseuse Étoile (literally, "star dancer") in the Paris Opera Ballet. Paris Opera Ballet is one of the top three ballet companies of the world. Park has climbed the ladder of success for ten years after she joined the company as a corps de ballet dancer in 2011. It is the first time in the history of the Paris Opera Ballet to name an Asian ballet dancer Étoile since its establishment in 1669.

Ballerina Park Sae Eun is the first prize winner of Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland in 2007 and the Varna International Ballet Competition in Bulgaria in 2010. In 2018, she garnered the Prix Benois de la Danse, earning recognition as the best female dancer. Professor Kim Yong-geol of the School of Dance, the first Korean ballet dancer to join the Paris Opera Ballet, said, "Being people from the origin country of ballet, the French have very high expectations of ballet dancers. Considering this, I could tell how Park pulled out all the stops to achieve her success."

Image ⓒIKAubert