“This tall young Korean dancer is a new star with the Mariinsky Ballet; he jumps astoundingly, turns with prowess and carries himself with nobility. I hope we see him again soon.” – Alastair Macaulay, NY Times

K’Arts Ballet of Korea will present the American premiere of Song of the Mermaid, a fantasy ballet choreographed by SunHee Kim, running October 20 and 21 at New York City Center. Song of the Mermaid, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved tale “The Little Mermaid,” will star Kimin Kim, principal dancer of Mariinsky Ballet, and feature 40 dancers and an original score composed by Hana Ryou.

The role of the Mermaid will be shared by SooBin Lee and Seonmee Park of South Korea. Both dancers have numerous accolades from prestigious international ballet competitions around the world. Song of the Mermaid Video

After tragedy strikes his ship, a prince finds himself drifting beneath the ocean waves. Saved by a beautiful mermaid, he finds himself at the center of a fantastical aquatic festival. The noble mermaid soon finds herself enamored with the prince, only to have their love forbidden by the king of the ocean. To fulfill their romance, she must make a dangerous wager with an occultist.

SunHee Kim is Dean of the School of Dance at Korea National University of Arts (KNUA). As a dance educator, scholar, artistic director, and choreographer, she has established herself as one of the prominent figures in the history of Korean ballet. She began her ballet training in Korea at the age of 9, and after graduation, moved to New York to study at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, working with numerous dance companies as a dancer and choreographer. Kim returned to Korea, where she worked as a dancer and teacher at various institutions before moving to Russia to train in classical ballet with the renowned Vaganova Teacher Training Program. She was the first Korean ever to study classical ballet in Russia, at a time when there were no official diplomatic relations between the two countries. It is not surprising that her achievements abroad have played a major role in the development of Korean ballet.

Kimin Kim born in Seoul, South Korea and trained at KNUA under Vladimir Kim and Margarita Kulik. Kim joined the Mariinsky Ballet as a trainee in December 2011 and was promoted to First Soloist in July 2012 and Principal Dancer in April 2015. Kim’s repertoire with the Mariinsky Ballet includes Solor and the Golden Idol in La Bayadère, Ali in Le Corsaire , the Diana and Acteon Pas de Deux, Basilio in Don Quixote, Count Albrecht in Giselle, Rubies from George Balanchine’s Jewels, the Nutcracker Prince in Vasily Vainonen’s The Nutcracker, Mercutio in Leonid Lavrovsky‘s Romeo and Juliet, Prince Siegfried and the Prince’s Friends in Swan Lake, the third movement of Balanchine’s Symphony in C, Aminta in Frederick Ashton’s Sylvia and roles in Harald Lander’s Études, William Forsythe’s The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, Alexei Ratmansky’s Concerto DSCH and Wayne McGregor’s Infra.

Kim was a prizewinner at the international ballet competitions in Rome (2008), Moscow (2009), Jackson (2010) and Varna (2010). In 2012, he won the Grand Prix at the Arabesque international ballet competition in Perm and the Grand Prix at the Youth America Grand Prix in New York. Kim made his debut with American Ballet Theatre dancing Solor in La Bayadère during the 2015 Spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Song of the Mermaid is presented by Valentina Kozlova Dance Foundation and Korean Cultural Center New York.

Song of the Mermaid will run Saturday, October 20 at 8 pm and Sunday, October 21 at 2 pm. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased (Starting September 4) online at www.NYCityCenter.org, by calling 212.581.1212, or in person at the City Center Box Office. New York City Center is located at 131 W 55th St between Sixth and Seventh avenues. For more information, please visit www.NYCityCenter.org.