Korea National Ballet to Restage "The Lady of the Camellias" After a Year, a Tragic Love Story Set to Chopin's Music

Dramatic ballet based on a novel by Alexandre Dumas fils
Depicts the ill-fated love between a courtesan and an innocent young man
Runs November 10-15 at the Opera Theater of Seoul Arts Center

The Korea National Ballet announced on October 28 that it will stage the dramatic ballet "The Lady of the Camellias," which weaves a tragic love story into the music of Frederic Chopin, at the Opera Theater of the Seoul Arts Center from November 10 to 15, 2026.

The company gave the work its Asian premiere in May 2025, and it will return to the stage after more than a year.

"The Lady of the Camellias" is based on the novel of the same name by French writer Alexandre Dumas fils, widely known in Korea by the title "La Dame aux Camelias." It depicts the ill-fated love between Marguerite, a 19th-century Parisian courtesan supported by wealthy men, and Armand, an innocent young man. The novel "La Dame aux Camelias" also inspired "La Traviata," one of the best-known operas by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi.

John Neumeier, the world-renowned choreographer who led Hamburg Ballet for 51 years from 1973, created "The Lady of the Camellias" based on "La Dame aux Camelias." Stuttgart Ballet gave the work its world premiere at the Wurttemberg State Theatre in Germany on November 4, 1978.

"The Lady of the Camellias" is also known as the work for which former Korea National Ballet artistic director Kang Sue-jin won the Best Female Dancer award at the Benois de la Danse, the most prestigious honor in the dance world, in 1999, becoming the first Asian to do so. At the time, Kang played Marguerite at Stuttgart Ballet. Neumeier was also named the choreography laureate at the inaugural Benois de la Danse in 1992.

The work combines Chopin's music with a carefully crafted dramatic structure to tell the story of Marguerite and Armand's love and separation. It uses flashbacks to move between the past and present, and incorporates the novel "Manon Lescaut" as a play within the ballet. The ballet opens with Marguerite's belongings being put up for auction after her death. When Armand visits her mansion and embraces a copy of "Manon Lescaut" as he weeps, the story turns back to the time when the two were in love. Manon's life in the play mirrors Marguerite's fate, foreshadowing the tragic end of their love.

Three pas de deux set to Chopin's music are among the ballet's key scenes. They are known as the "Purple," "White" and "Black" pas de deux, after the color of Marguerite's costumes. The Purple Pas de Deux, set to the second movement of Chopin's "Piano Concerto No. 2," depicts the moment the two fall in love. The White Pas de Deux, set to the third movement of his "Piano Sonata No. 3," shows them enjoying a happy life at a country house. In the Black Pas de Deux, set to "Ballade No. 1," their relationship, tangled in misunderstanding, betrayal and conflicting love and hatred, reaches its climax.

Three casts will portray Marguerite and Armand in this production. Han Narae and Kwak Dong-hyun, who performed together in last year's premiere, will reunite. World-renowned ballerina Alina Cojocaru will pair with Korea National Ballet dancer Yang Jun-young in a new combination. Byun Seong-wan, who played Armand last year, will be paired with Jung Eun-ji.

Cojocaru, who is from Romania, is a world-renowned ballerina and a two-time winner of the Benois de la Danse award for Best Female Dancer. She has been a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet and English National Ballet, and is currently a guest dancer with Hamburg Ballet.

Neumeier finalized Jung Eun-ji's casting after watching a rehearsal video. According to the Korea National Ballet, Neumeier highly praised Jung's ability and immersion in the role after viewing the rehearsal video sent by ballet master Janusz Mazon, and decided to cast her.

Markus Lehtinen will conduct, with pianists Michal Bialk and Park Jonghwa and the Korean National Symphony Orchestra performing Chopin's music. The ballet consists of three acts and runs for about 170 minutes, including intermission.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.