Kirov Academy of Ballet

Last updated
Kirov Academy of Ballet
Kirov Academy of Ballet.jpg
Location
Kirov Academy of Ballet
4301 Harewood Rd NE, Washington, D.C.

Coordinates 38°56′28″N77°00′12″W / 38.941°N 77.0032°W / 38.941; -77.0032
Information
TypeBallet school
Established1990 (1990)
Closed2022 (2022)
Grades6th through 12th
Campus size1.2 acres

The Kirov Academy of Ballet (formerly the Universal Ballet Academy [1] ) was a ballet school in Washington, D.C. founded by Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon in 1990. [2] It closed in May 2022.

Contents

Facilities

The Kirov was located in a former monastery on a 1.2 acre campus in the Brookland neighborhood of northeast Washington, D.C. The 50,000 square foot gated facility featured dormitories, studios, and administrative space. [3]

Performance series

The Kirov’s spring and winter performance series were held in the academy’s 300-seat auditorium. Annually, the six performances served more than 1,800 people, including student performers, family members, children (including from underserved populations), and ballet aficionados of all ages.[ citation needed ]

Notable students

Kirov Academy of Ballet students have gone on to become leading dancers at top companies around the world. [4] Graduates and other students include Melanie Hamrick, [4] Sascha Radetsky, [4] Hee Seo, [4] Jayna Ledford, [5] Rasta Thomas, [6] Michele Wiles, [6] Danny Tidwell, [7] Tyler Nelson, [8] Vanessa Zahorian, [9] Sasha De Sola, [10] Brooklyn Mack, [11] Maria Bystrova, [6] Hyo-Jung Kang, [12] Melissa Hough, [6] Connor Walsh, [13] Rory Hohenstein, [6] Brian Maloney, [14] Jonathan Jordan, [15] J’aime Crandall, [16] Elizabeth Mason, [17] Lauren Strongin, [6] Dana Genshaft, [18] Laura O’Malley, [6] Adrienne Canterna, [6] Evan McKie, [4] Dragoș Mihalcea, [19] Yena Kang, [20] Hye-Min Hwang, [21] Jae Yong Ohm. [6]

Related Research Articles

Jam Factory is a South Korean music publisher which sources song tunes and lyrics for K-pop, J-pop and Mandopop artists from songwriters predominantly based in the US. Writers of the tunes are often songwriters for American companies, such as Brandon Fraley, a well known provider of tunes to South Korean girl and boy bands, who is a songwriter for Sony Music Publishing in Los Angeles. Korean, Japanese and Chinese language lyrics are usually provided by Jam Factory's own lyricists based in Seoul.

Sunhwa Arts School (Korean: 선화예술고등학교) is a private coeducational college preparatory arts academy located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded as the Little Angels Art School in 1973 by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, the Sunhwa Arts School was launched in 1974 and has been supported by the Sunhwa Educational Foundation since 1977, when this foundation was created by Reverend Moon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Korea women's national volleyball team</span>

The South Korea women's national volleyball team represents South Korea in international volleyball competitions and friendly matches. It was one of the leading squads in the world in the 1970s, 1990s and 2010s, having won the bronze medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and placing fourth at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Great Britain and the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

Vanessa Andrea Zahorian is an American retired ballet dancer. She was a principal dancer at the San Francisco Ballet. She is currently one of the artistic directors of Pennsylvania Ballet Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dragoș Mihalcea</span>

Dragoș Mihalcea is the principal dancer with the Royal Swedish Ballet.

Nonstop (Korean: 논스톱) is a South Korean sitcom that broadcast its first season in 2000 on MBC. It continued with 5 more seasons. The series was popular for its cast of teen idols, many who debuted through the show gaining vast popularity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hee Seo</span> South Korean ballet dancer

Hee Seo is a South Korean ballet dancer who is a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), one of the three leading classical ballet companies in the United States. She became the company's first Korean ballerina to be promoted to principal dancer in ABT's 75-year history. She is also one of the youngest dancers in ABT history to be promoted to principal at the age of twenty-six. The New York Times has described her style and dancing to "exude an unhurried purity that sums up all that is lovely about ballet" and by Vogue as "unspeakably lissome". Several critics have noted her style as "lyrical and open" and she has been critically acclaimed for her "humility" and "unique feminine strength".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seo Hyo-rim</span> South Korean actress

Seo Hyo-rim is a South Korean actress.

The Korea National Ballet is a South Korean ballet company. It was founded in 1962 in Seoul as the National Ballet Company. It was one of the affiliates of the National Theater of Korea until 1999, when it separated to independently reestablish itself in the Seoul Arts Center in the following year.

<i>Romance Town</i> 2011 South Korean television series

Romance Town is a 2011 South Korean television series starring Sung Yu-ri, Jung Gyu-woon, Kim Min-jun, and Min Hyo-rin. It aired on KBS2 from May 11 to July 14, 2011 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.

Brooklyn Devon Mack is an American ballet dancer. He is currently the Interim Artistic Director of Columbia Classical Ballet since November 11, 2021.

<i>Big</i> (TV series) South Korean TV series or program

Big (Korean: 빅) is a 2012 South Korean television series starring Gong Yoo and Lee Min-jung. The romantic comedy/body swap series aired on KBS2 from June 4 to July 24, 2012 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 16 episodes.

<i>Good Job, Good Job</i> South Korean TV series or program

Good Job, Good Job is a 2009 South Korean television series starring Chae Rim, Um Ki-joon, Kim Seung-soo, Kim Jung-hwa, Choi Daniel and Seo Hyo-rim. It aired on MBC from March 14 to August 2, 2009 on Saturdays and Sundays at 19:55 for 40 episodes.

<i>Golden House</i> (TV series) South Korean television series

Golden House is a 2010 South Korean television series starring Shin Ha-kyun, Lee Bo-young, and Baek Yoon-sik. It aired on cable channel tvN from March 5 to May 27, 2010 on Fridays at 23:00 for 20 episodes.

<i>Mama</i> (South Korean TV series) 2014 South Korean TV series

Mama is a 2014 South Korean television series starring Song Yoon-ah, Hong Jong-hyun, Jung Joon-ho, and Moon Jung-hee. It aired on MBC from August 2 to October 19, 2014 on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:45 for 24 episodes.

<i>Make a Woman Cry</i> 2015 South Korean television series

Make a Woman Cry is a 2015 South Korean television series starring Kim Jung-eun and Song Chang-eui. It aired on MBC on Saturdays and Sundays at 20:45 for 40 episodes beginning April 18, 2015.

<i>W</i> (TV series) South Korean television series

W (Korean: 더블유) is a 2016 South Korean television series, starring Lee Jong-suk and Han Hyo-joo. Consisting of 16 episodes, it aired on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 22:00 (KST) on MBC from July 20 to September 14, 2016. W centers on the clash between "two worlds": the real world and an alternate universe inside a webtoon, from which the title of the television series was taken.

<i>The Good Wife</i> (South Korean TV series) 2016 remake of American TV series

The Good Wife is a South Korean television series starring Jeon Do-yeon, Yoo Ji-tae and Yoon Kye-sang. It is a Korean drama remake of the American television series of the same title which aired on CBS from 2009 to 2016. It replaced Dear My Friends and aired on the cable network tvN every Fridays and Saturdays at 20:30 (KST) for 16 episodes from July 8 to August 27, 2016.

Kim Min-jae is a South Korean actor. He starred in TV series such as Reset (2014), Spy (2015), The Village: Achiara's Secret (2015), and Feel Good to Die (2018).

Jayna Noel Ledford is a Filipino-American transgender ballet dancer. She performed with Eastern Shore Ballet Theater in Maryland and is a former student at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. After coming out as a transgender woman, Ledford lost her scholarship at the Kirov Academy and disenrolled from the school, as they did not permit her to continue her studies as a female dancer. She then trained in classical ballet at First State Dance Academy in Delaware.

References

  1. Kim, James S. (11 March 2015). "South Korean Ballerina Hee Seo Dazzles in 'The Sleeping Beauty'". KoreAm . Seoul, South Korea. Archived from the original on 12 November 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  2. Ritzel, Rebecca J. (May 7, 2021). "Former Dance School Comptroller Pleads Guilty in $1.5 Million Fraud". New York Times. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  3. "Brookland School Property Trades for $22M". BLDUP. September 19, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Ritzel, Rebecca J. (2022-02-08). "The Kirov Academy, a Leading Ballet School, to Close in May" . The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  5. Scher, Avichai (March 8, 2020). "For transgender dancers, progress can't come fast enough" . Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Hanna, Judith Lynne (June 12, 1999). "Kirov Academy of Ballet". Dance Magazine. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  7. Kourlas, Gia (July 11, 2007). "So He Knows He Can Dance: A Prince Among Paupers". New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  8. Lang, George (September 26, 2007). "Former Edmond resident causes storm over Indiana Jones". The Oklahoman. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  9. Natalia Boesch (April 3, 2017). "Grace and Tenacity: Vanessa Zahorian Reflects on 20 Years at San Francisco Ballet". Pointe Magazine. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  10. Ford, Penelope. "Let There be Light". Fjord Review. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  11. Maxwell, Jenny (September 2021). "Made in Cola Town; Brooklyn Mack Dances Through Life". Columbia Metropolitan. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  12. Al-Jamie, Anthony (March 27, 2016). "Ballerina Hyo Jung Kang". Seoul Journal. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  13. Knox, Lawrence Elizabeth (March 29, 2017). "Connor Walsh: Houston Ballet's Yes Man". Arts and Culture Texas. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  14. David Bain (February 22, 2006). "Brian Maloney Soloist, The Royal Ballet". The Ballet Association. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  15. "Jonathan Jordan". www.balletmet.org. Ballet Met.
  16. Thygesen, Peter (April 28, 2022). "Ballerinaen med den skarptslebne teknik danser af" . Politiken. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  17. Brandt, Amy (July 28, 2010). "Take Your Tendus Overseas". Pointe Magazine. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  18. Loeffler-Gladstone, Nicole (June 1, 2015). "Taking Control: Dana Genshaft Reflects on her Unique Training Path". Pointe Magazine. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  19. "Dragoş Mihalcea". www.dance.utah.edu. University of Utah.
  20. Squires, Pamela (June 29, 1994). "Kirov's Grand Coming-Out". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  21. Sang-hee, Han (June 10, 2009). "East Meets West in UBC Ballet Chun-hyang". The Korea Times. Retrieved June 4, 2023.

See also