Seoul Arts Center to host Étoiles du Présent 2026

Seoul Arts Center said on July 9 that it will present the ballet gala Étoiles du Présent 2026, bringing dancers from several companies onto one stage. The performance is scheduled to run from July 29 to August 2 at the Opera Theater at Seoul Arts Center in Seoul.

The center said Sae Eun Park, the first Asian étoile, or principal dancer, of the Paris Opera Ballet, is curator for the gala and planned its casting and program. Park is also listed among the dancers appearing in the production.

According to the center, the performers include Amandine Albisson, Bleuenn Battistoni, Paul Marque, Guillaume Diop and Lorenzo Lelli of the Paris Opera Ballet. It also named Nicoletta Manni and Timofej Andrijashenko of La Scala Ballet, along with Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia of New York City Ballet.

The center said the program has been arranged around the legacy of Rudolf Nureyev, whose work is tied to the artistic identity of the Paris Opera Ballet. It said the lineup includes Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadère, Carmen, La Nuit s’achève and On the Nature of Daylight, covering classical and contemporary works.

The center said Moonlight, a new solo dedicated to Park by former Paris Opera Ballet étoile and choreographer Jean-Guillaume Bart, will be unveiled for the first time globally during the performances. Park is scheduled to perform the solo with live piano accompaniment by Jeung Beum Sohn.

The center said New York City Ballet dancers Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia will present Jerome Robbins' Other Dances and A Suite of Dances. Jeung Beum Sohn will play piano, and cellist Seungyeon Baik will also perform live, according to the center.