[Power K-Women] Balancing Work and Ballet at 40: "Trust Yourself and Just Go for It"

Maintaining Sensation During Pregnancy
Consistent Ballet Company Attendance Until Final Month
Return Performance 'Mirinaegil' Five Months After Childbirth
Overcoming Age and Physical Challenges for a Passionate Stage
Benois de la Danse Academy in Dance World
Honored with Best Female Dancer Award

There are two major trials for ballet dancers. For ballerinas, it is childbirth; for ballet dancers, it is military service. Many decide to retire at these points, and even if they return, they soon face limits due to declining skills.

For this reason, the ballet world is paying attention to Mison Kang, principal dancer of the Universal Ballet Company, this year. She overcame conditions that could be considered limitations?such as being in her "forties," a "working mom," and returning after childbirth?and won the Benois de la danse, known as the "Academy Award of the dance world," for Best Female Dancer. She emphasized, "It would have been impossible without self-confidence."

Principal dancer Kang Miseon of Universal Ballet (right) is presenting the piece Mirinaegil, which won the Benois de la Danse award. Photo by Universal Ballet

At the time of the interview, she was busy preparing for the ballet Don Quixote. Although the Benois de la danse awards ceremony was held in June, she said she had no time to enjoy the joy because of the Nutcracker gala performance in September and the Don Quixote performance in October. She said, "I come out every day at 10 a.m. and warm up, living my usual routine," adding, "When the performance is near, I give up weekends and keep practicing steadily."

In fact, she did not stop ballet even during pregnancy to return quickly. The ballet Mirinaegil, which brought her the honor of the award, was performed five months after her return from childbirth. She calmly said, "Even during pregnancy, I consistently came to the ballet company to stretch and participate in classes, continuing to move my body steadily until the last month of pregnancy," and "If I don't wear pointe shoes for a long time, my ankles hurt, but I kept wearing pointe shoes during pregnancy to not forget the ballet sense."

In Don Quixote, the role she plays is Kitri, the innkeeper's daughter. The main characters of Don Quixote are not Don Quixote or Sancho but the barber Basilio and Kitri. Supporting characters from the novel appear as leads on the ballet stage. Kang Mison explained, "From the moment I appear, I have to run onto the stage, there are many big jumps, and many lifts by the partner, so it is a very demanding role among classical works," adding, "It is the most physically exhausting."

I met Kang Mi-sun, principal dancer of the Universal Ballet Company, who received the Benoir de la danse award for Best Female Dancer, at the Universal Art Center in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

She has a special affection for Kitri. When she was contemplating her career, Kitri became the strength that allowed her to continue ballet. Her journey as a ballerina until winning the Best Female Dancer award was not smooth. After attending Sunhwa Arts Middle and High School and studying abroad, she joined the Universal Ballet Company in 2002. Having followed the course, she thought her future would be bright, but reality was different.

She said, "In ballet, a dancer's body type greatly influences roles, and since I am short and sturdy, there were limits to being cast as roles like the swan in Lake of the Swans," adding, "I thought I would be cast quickly and get lead roles soon, but that was not the case." She recalled, "My late twenties were really the hardest time in my life." She added, "Younger dancers were cast in lead roles first, while I kept performing corps de ballet roles in the back, which was frustrating," and "At that time, I wandered without a clear answer about what the problem was."

Ultimately, the breakthrough was practice. She said, "I thought I had to become a supporting role more memorable than the lead, so before going on stage, I tried to make the work so that everyone would say 'wow' when I performed in the studio," adding, "Even as a supporting role, audiences started leaving comments that Kang Mison's role stood out and was well done."

Benoir de la danse Best Female Dancer Award recipient, Kang Mi-sun, principal dancer of Universal Ballet. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

Then she was cast as Kitri, the lead in Don Quixote. Kang Mison said, "Since my body type was a disadvantage, I knew how to overcome it, so I paid attention to emotional expression and upper body movements to attract as much attention as possible," adding, "Above all, Kitri is a role that shows explosive energy, which is somewhat different from my natural personality, so I paid a lot of attention to acting at that time." Before long, "Don Quixote Kitri" became part of her representative works. Her advice from experience is that sometimes a long wait is necessary to get a lead role.

Thanks to this, she was able to perform the challenging ballet Don Quixote again at the age of forty. Playing Kitri, who runs around the stage throughout, at the age of forty is not easy. She said, "I never thought I would still be dancing at the age of forty," adding, "Even senior dancers retired in their mid to late thirties, so I thought dancing past forty was greedy, but now I am that age," and laughed. She added, "I am grateful that my body still holds up," and "I think I am turning weaknesses into strengths."

These days, she rather feels the maturity that comes with experience. She said, "In my twenties, I was nervous and anxious about whether I could do well, but now I can immediately calculate which part needs what expression, so it is comfortable to approach the work," adding, "I have gained a lot of know-how and composure."

Benoir de la danse Best Female Dancer Award recipient, Kang Mi-sun, principal dancer of Universal Ballet. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

She has no plans beyond the age of forty. She intends to devote herself to this year's works. The primary motivation to perform on stage comes from the audience, but now there are other motivations and responsibilities, such as her parents who take care of her child and the people who give her opportunities.

She said, "I usually answer that I can dance ballet for another one or two years when asked such questions. Having this mindset helps me cherish the given time," adding, "This time, my plan is to be on stage just for this year, until I can perform big shows without strain, and then I will think about my career afterwards."

Kang Mison said, "Ultimately, the way to become the best is to believe in yourself and do your best," adding, "I think the Benois de la danse is recognition for digging one well for 20 years," and "If you challenge the best, even if it takes time, you have to believe in yourself and move forward." She believes that the moment of being recognized by everyone will come someday.

▶ Mison Kang, principal dancer of the Universal Ballet Company,

was born in 1983 and graduated from Sunhwa Arts Middle and High School and the Kirov Academy of Ballet in the United States. Since 2002, she has been active in the Universal Ballet Company. She was promoted to demi-soloist in 2005, soloist in 2006, senior soloist in 2010, and has been principal dancer since 2012. She has received awards such as the Prima Ballerina Award from the Korean Ballet Association in 2009, the Acting Award at the Seoul Dance Festival in 2016, and the Kim Baek-bong Award from the Korean Dance Association in 2018. In 2023, she won the Benois de la danse Best Female Dancer Award for the original ballet Mirinaegil, which reflects Korean sentiment and is called the "Academy Award of the dance world." Her representative works include Kitri in Don Quixote, Tatiana in Onegin, and Clara in The Nutcracker.