National Ballet to Restage "The Little Mermaid" at Seoul Arts Center Opera Theater in August

The National Ballet will once again stage John Neumeier's "The Little Mermaid," which had its Korean premiere last year.

On July 18, the National Ballet announced that it will perform "The Little Mermaid" at the Opera Theater of the Seoul Arts Center from August 13 to 17.

"The Little Mermaid" is a work by world-renowned American choreographer John Neumeier, based on the fairy tale of the same name by Andersen. The ballet premiered in 2005 at the Royal Danish Ballet to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Andersen's birth and was dedicated to Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.

Neumeier created a new narrative by using Andersen's fairy tale as the foundation, while also reflecting Andersen's life as a bisexual. The character of the Poet, who does not appear in the original story, is introduced and leads the performance alongside the Little Mermaid. The story begins as the Poet's tears fall into the sea. The Little Mermaid pursues love, crossing between the underwater world and the human world, even relinquishing her own identity. However, she ultimately fails to attain the love she dreamed of and is left in despair. Instead of vanishing into sea foam, the Little Mermaid is reborn as an independent character who sets out to find the true meaning of existence.

National Ballet's "The Little Mermaid" Performance
[Photo by National Ballet]

National Ballet's "The Little Mermaid" Performance
[Photo by National Ballet]

Following last year's "The Little Mermaid," the National Ballet also drew attention this May by being the first Asian ballet company to stage a full production of another Neumeier work, "Lady of the Camellias." Through "Lady of the Camellias," Neumeier explores tragic love in reality, while in "The Little Mermaid," he delves into the meaning of existence through fantastical imagination and symbolism.

The stage of "The Little Mermaid" is imbued with Neumeier's delicate artistic sensibility. In Act I, the production creates a fantastical underwater world through innovative stage direction, lighting, and costume design. In particular, the long pants costume that represents the Little Mermaid's tail maximizes her swimming-like movements, leaving a lasting impression. In contrast, Act II dramatically portrays the Little Mermaid's inner turmoil and instability within the spatial confines of the human world, creating a stark contrast between the two acts.

The music is composed by Russian-born composer Lera Auerbach. Neumeier asked Auerbach to express emotions, psychology, and the essence of the characters through music. In response, Auerbach chose the theremin, the world's first electronic instrument, as a main instrument and completed the score. The subtle dissonance created by the theremin and violin delicately depicts the Little Mermaid's beautiful yet painful inner world, adding a mysterious resonance and immersive atmosphere to the stage.