Nowon-gu in Seoul (district mayor Seo Jun-o) will host the "2026 NBF:B Nowon Ballet Festival: Boundary" at Nowon Culture and Arts Center for 10 days from Aug. 21 through Aug. 30.
This year's festival theme is "Boundary." The program brings together the full spectrum of ballet — from classical tradition to contemporary and original works — crossing genre lines while placing top-tier domestic and international dancers on the same stage as amateur citizens.
Choreographer Kim Yong-geol serves as artistic director overseeing the entire festival, with Kim Gwang-jin and Ji Woo-young participating as associate directors. Ballerina Kang Ye-na, Stephanie and ballerino Ahn Jae-yong have been appointed as promotional ambassadors.
A roster of prominent dancers active at home and abroad will take the stage. Ballet de Monte-Carlo principal dancer Ahn Jae-yong and Park Yun-jae — a member of American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company and winner of the 2025 Prix de Lausanne Grand Prix — will each deliver special performances. Ambassadors Kang and Stephanie will also participate in performances, lectures and hands-on programs.
The main program comprises three works spanning ballet's classical heritage, experimental edge and creative frontier: Seoul City Ballet's traditional classical production "Giselle," Kim Yong-geol Dance Theater's experimental contemporary piece "Essai," and Dance Theater Shahar's original work "A Midsummer Night's Nutcracker." Tickets are available through the Nowon Culture Foundation's booking site and the Nol Ticket platform.
On the festival's closing day, Aug. 30, the main hall will host an amateur ballet competition at 2 p.m., with eight teams that have cleared preliminary rounds competing for top honors. The event — designed to put citizens at the center of the festival alongside professional dancers — will be followed by a celebratory performance by the Dream Dance Company and the NBF closing ceremony.
The small performance hall will offer a complementary series of programs, including lectures tied to the main productions and a film screening by a film director who began her career as a ballerina, giving audiences multiple ways to experience ballet beyond the stage.
Nowon Art Museum will present the free special exhibition "Dancing Memories" from Aug. 21 through Aug. 30. The show features pointe shoes, stage costumes and LP records belonging to ballet stars including Jeon Min-cheol, Ahn Jae-yong and Kang Su-jin, as well as sculptures and paintings by Lee Sang-man, a former ballerino turned visual artist. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily except Sundays. On the closing day, Aug. 30, it will operate until 3 p.m.
"This festival crosses the boundaries between classical and contemporary, and between professional dancers and citizens, bringing together the full range of ballet's appeal in one place," district mayor Seo said. "We will support Nowon Culture and Arts Center in establishing itself as the premier stage for a ballet festival that draws not only local residents but arts and culture enthusiasts from across the country."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
