Nowon-gu '2024 Ye-kkum Ballet Company' Founded

Providing Opportunities for Independent Cultural and Artistic Enjoyment and Creative Activities to Support the Holistic Growth of Children and Adolescents
Recruiting a Total of 30 Children and Adolescents Aged 8-13 in Nowon-gu, Including Those with Borderline Intelligence and Vulnerable Groups
‘2024 Dream Dance Troupe Operation Project’ Hosted by the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Final Selection... Secured 400 Million KRW in Funding Over 5 Years

Nowon-gu, Seoul (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) is launching the ‘2024 Dream Dance Troupe’ Nowon-gu Yekkum Ballet Company.

The establishment of the dance troupe aims to provide opportunities for artistic creative activities to children and adolescents in the local community. It is intended to contribute to holistic growth by fostering autonomous cultural and artistic enjoyment as well as establishing proper values such as self-esteem.

The ‘Yekkum Ballet Company’ will begin full-scale operations from the end of May. To this end, the district appointed Ji Woo-young, director of Dance Theater Shahar and a master in the ballet world, as the general director of the ballet company. Director Ji Woo-young also founded and operates ‘Yerum Arts School,’ the nation’s first alternative school for adolescents with borderline intellectual functioning, which is supported financially by the district.

The troupe will recruit a total of 30 members, targeting children and adolescents aged 8 to 13 residing in Nowon-gu who are interested in dance. Among them, 15 will be selected from vulnerable groups, including those with borderline intellectual functioning. The education program is completely free of charge, and prior consent from guardians is mandatory.

Applications can be submitted by filling out the form (Naver Form) posted in the notices section on the Nowon Cultural Foundation website from April 15 until midnight on May 21.

The final successful candidates will be announced on May 27, and the training will be conducted for about seven months until December, every Tuesday or Thursday from 4 PM to 6 PM. The district plans to design the program starting from basic movements including foot positions for members with no prior ballet experience.

Additionally, the district is promoting various projects to enhance the creative capabilities of children and adolescents through culture and arts. From April to June, ‘Textbook Art Walk,’ where participants watch performances based on content from textbooks such as Bang Jeong-hwan, Sandae Nori, and world music, will be held. In June, ‘After-School Performance Playground_Musical Edition,’ where participants learn and create musicals together under expert guidance during after-school hours, will take place.

The establishment of the Yekkum Ballet Company follows its final selection in the ‘2024 Dream Dance Troupe Operation’ public contest project hosted by the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “The Yekkum Ballet Company is intended to help members create dances that tell their own stories and build self-esteem,” adding, “We will spare no support so that through the experience of collaborative creation, they can view relationships with others in a new light and grow up healthily.”