<Hoi Rang>

Online streaming on the KNB YouTube Channel

Presented by the Korean Cultural Center New York,
Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C., and the Korean National Ballet

Friday, May 14, 8 pm ~ Sunday, May 16, 8 pm, 2021 (ET)
Korean National Ballet YouTube Channel

48 hours of free streaming
No Ticket or RSVP necessary

Click to watch (Live on May 14th at 8PM)

Korean Cultural Center New York & Washington, D.C. and the Korean National Ballet (KNB) co-present an online streaming of the original ballet <Hoi Rang>.

<Hoi Rang> is a performance by Korea National Ballet inspired by the original book Ilsayusa by journalist Jang Ji-yeon. This compilation book was published in the early 20th century during the era of the Korean Empire (1897-1910).

<Hoi Rang> revolves around a strong-willed and devoted female character called Rang who disguises herself as a man to join the army in place of her father.
She then leads the army to victory over the enemy.

<Hoi Rang> was created by the choreographer Kang Hyohyung, a soloist dancer at the KNB, in which she aimed to develop a fast-paced, exciting piece with dynamic duets and group dances. With an incredible amount of energy in the combat scenes paired with a score that harmonizes Western classical music with the classic Korean folk tale, the work comes together in a moving, harmonious piece.

Running Time: 90 Min
(The performance video was filmed in November 9, 2019 at the Opera House, Seoul Arts Center)

Premiere: May, 2019
Cast: Park Seulki (Rang), Lee Jaewoo (Jung), Byun Seongwan (Bahn)

Photo by Jail Son

▲Synopsis

- Act 1 -

Rang and Rang’s older brother live with their ill father, taking care of him. One day, Rang’s brother was called in for the army and was taken away to fight in the war. Sadly, Rang’s brother dies in the war and she struggles with the loss.

However, there are no signs of the end of the war, and this time, Bahn, the Second Commander, comes to Rang’s town to draft more men. When Rang’s father is called, Rang tries to explain the situation of her father’s illness, but Bahn refuses her desperate request. Rang asks her neighbors to take the place on behalf of her sick father, but no one offers to do so.

Rang decides to disguise herself as a man and take her father’s place. Rang successfully enlists by disguising herself as a man, but suffers from physical stagnation and from the demands of the difficult leader. But eventually, with First Commander Jung’s help, everybody begins to accept Rang as a soldier, still not knowing that she is actually a woman.

Meanwhile, Bahn is dissatisfied with his position as a Second Commander and jealous of Jung who is respected by everybody around him. One day, during a tough battle, Bahn finds Commander Jung wounded, but ignores him. However, Rang brings in a victory even in the absence of Jung. The injured Jung recognizes Rang’s heroic actions and the other soldiers also honor Rang’s bravery. Bahn has no choice but to flee the army as he betrayed Jung.

- Act 2 -

Rang unties her hair strap and uses it on Jung’s injured arm. She then exits the barracks to pray in the dark night alone, hoping for Jung’s recovery. Jung accidentally finds out that Rang is a woman when he sees her with long hair down. Rang tries to explain her situation to Jung, but too shocked, Jung walks away in confusion.

Meanwhile, Bahn gathers his forces to raise an insurrection and starts an attack on Jung’s troops. Rang tries to stop Bahn in place of the wounded Jung, but she gets surrounded by Bahn’s hounds. Bahn shoots an arrow to kill Rang, but just in that moment, a deer jumps in front of Rang from out of nowhere and takes the arrow instead of her. After seeing the deer that she saved die for her to return the favor, Rang becomes determined to fight against Bahn.

After hearing about Bahn’s rebellion, Jung begins his final duel with him. Rang successfully hits Bahn with her bow and as a result, Jung and Rang succeed in ending the rebellion. However, others find out about Rang's identity as a woman and she is forced to be thrown out of the army. Rang explains to Jung and other soldiers the reasons why she had to disguise herself as a man, and asks Jung to recognize her as a soldier. Jung raises Rang and puts her helmet back on her head and accepts her as a soldier and fellow.

Spring comes along with the end of the war. Soldiers begin to return home and the village is full of joy. When Rang comes home, her father also welcomes her with great joy. Jung asks for the blessing from Rang’s father and proposes to Rang. She accepts Jung’s proposal and the two are married with the blessings from everybody and promised a fresh start.

▲Choreographer: Kang Hyohyung

Graduated from Korea National University of Arts in 2010
Joined the KNB in 2009

2004 Special Prize,The Korea Ballet Association Dance Competition
2005 Sliver Prize, Dong-A Dance Competition
2006 Semi-Finalist, Varna International Ballet Competition
2008 1st Prize, Korea New Artist Dance Competition
2008 Finalist, Italy Premio Roma Dance Competition
2009 Gold Prize, Dong-A Dance Competition
2010 Minister Prize, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea
2017 Nominated for Best Choreographer, Benois de la Danse

▲Korean National Ballet

Artistic Director: Kang Suejin

Korean National Ballet is Korea’s first professional ballet company established in 1962 that embodies the history of Korean ballet. During its approximately 60 years of history, KNB has been widely recognized both at home and abroad thanks to its scores of committed dancers and choreographers as well as great art directors and impressive repertoire. Today, with about 60 of the country’s top ballet dancers and a repertoire of international masterpieces, the ballet company continues to reach out to audiences through regular performances and an array of special performances.

KNB’s major full-length ballet repertoire includes Yuri Grigorovich’s <Swan Lake>, <The Nutcracker>, <Spartacus> and <La Bayadère>; Patrice Bart’s <Giselle>; MárciaHaydée’s <Sleeping Beauty>; and John Cranko’s <The Taming of the Shrew>. With a range of other performances including Uwe Scholz’s <The Seventh Symphony>, Glen Tetley’s <The Rite of Spring>, George Balanchine’s <Serenade>, Christian Spuck’s <Anna Karenina> and Renato Zanella’s <Mata Hari>, KNB has been broadening its scope from classical ballet to modern, neo-classical and dramatic ballet.

KNB has also been striving to create a repertoire of original works such as <Prince Hodong> and <Heo Nan Seol Heon - Su Wol Kyung Hwa> inspired by a traditional Korean folk tale and classic poems, respectively. <Hoi Rang>, a new piece premiered in 2019, is another original work that renders a traditional Korean narrative through the movements of a Western dance form. The new show will demonstrate how much effort has been put into the creation of original Korean ballet works.

Since 2015, the ballet company has highlighted the “KNB Movement Series'' project to provide its dancers with an opportunity to showcase their choreographic talent. This project is significant not only as it supports the dancers as they start a new phase of their lives as choreographers but also enriches and expands KNB’s repertoire by further developing the pieces created by the dancers to become robust works that continue beyond the one-off showcase.

Also, to fulfill its mission of making ballet more accessible to the Korean public, KNB engages in a range of programs such as “Regional Performance Tours” and “Ballet Academy Tours” that bring ballet to every corner of the country. Furthermore, it has also performed around the world as the representative Korean ballet company, promoting the excellence of Korean culture and art to the entire world.