We share thoughts from some of the dancers participating in the Arpino Centennial performances. We continue with Hee Seo and Cory Stearns of American Ballet Theatre, who are performing Sea Shadow on the first program.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Hee Seo began her ballet training in her hometown at the Sun-hwa Arts Middle School. She was awarded a three-year full scholarship to continue her training at the Universal Ballet Academy in Washington, D.C. In 2003, Seo won a scholarship to train at the John Cranko Ballet Academy in Stuttgart. She is the recipient of the 2003 Prix de Lausanne Award and the 2003 Grand Prix at the Youth American Grand Prix in New York.
Seo joined ABT Studio Company in 2004, became an apprentice with the main Company in May 2005, and joined the corps de ballet in March 2006. She was promoted to Soloist in August 2010 and to Principal Dancer in July 2012. Some of her repertoire includes Apollo, La Bayadère, Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella, Don Quixote, Gaîté Parisienne, Giselle, Jardin aux Lilas, Jane Eyre, Manon, A Month in the Country, Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker, Onegin, Other Dances, Prodigal Son, Romeo and Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, La Sylphide, Sylvia, Whipped Cream, and Sinfonietta.
Hee’s thoughts and reflections:
How long have you been dancing professionally? Do you have a favorite choreographer you like to dance?
I’ve been dancing, all classical ballet, for 20 years. I especially love Swan Lake.
Is there anything in particular that you found joyful, interesting, or challenging in Mr. Arpino’s choreography?
This is my first experience, but I found it very lyrical, musical, and free.
What is one thing you learned about yourself while learning Sea Shadow?
I learned that everybody who has come to see it loves this particular ballet.
If you were to meet Arpino today, what would you ask him?
How well did I dance today?
Born on Long Island, New York, Cory Stearns began his classical training at the age of five with Mme. Valia Seiskaya at the Seiskaya Ballet. At age 15, he participated in the Youth America Grand Prix and was offered a full scholarship to The Royal Ballet School in London. Stearns performed in Madrid, Moscow, Milan, Düsseldorf, and London while at The Royal and appeared with Kylie Minogue in her music video Chocolate in 2004. Upon graduating from The Royal Ballet School with honors, he received, for the second year, the Dame Ruth Railton Award for excellence in dance. Stearns joined the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company in September 2004, the main Company as an apprentice in January 2005 and became a member of the corps de ballet in January 2006. He was appointed a Soloist in January 2009 and a Principal Dancer in January 2011. Stearns won the 2009 Erik Bruhn Prize for best male dancer.
Cory’s thoughts and reflections:
How long have you been dancing professionally? Do you have a favorite choreographer you like to dance?
I joined ABT Studio Company in September 2004, so it’ll have been 19 years when I perform in the Arpino Centennial. I wouldn’t say I have an absolute favorite choreographer, but I love dancing in works by the two most famous British choreographers: Kenneth MacMillan and Frederic Ashton.
Is there anything in particular that you found joyful, interesting, or challenging in Mr. Arpino’s choreography?
I very much appreciate his preference for authenticity and genuineness from his dancers and also his incorporation of effective truncal usage in his choreography. I believe that one thing that separates good dancers from great dancers is the recognition that the torso is just as involved when dancing as any other part of the body and does not remain stiffly passive. In Sea Shadow, particularly, there’s a tremendous amount of expression through truncal movement.
What is one thing you learned about yourself while learning Sea Shadow?
I’ve learned that I can bend my spine in various directions and not injure myself!
If you were to meet Arpino today, what would you ask him?
I’d ask if he’s willing and available to rehearse Hee and me in Sea Shadow. Direction from the source is as authentic as it gets.