Young Gyu Choi

A medal instead of military service 

In 2006, Young got through to the final of the Prix de Lausanne, following which he immediately travelled on, at the age of fifteen, to live in Zurich, where he continued his training at the Tanz Akademie Zürich. “My first months there were very lonely. I didn’t speak a word of German or English yet, was living on my own for the first time, suddenly had to cook for myself and organise everything, and – unlike in Korea – had lots of free time that I didn’t know what to do with.” But in his second year in Zurich, he realised that he wanted to stay in Europe. The only problem was that he had to get out of doing military service in Korea. He solved this initially by doing a further period of training at the Korean Sun Hwa Arts School, and in the long run by winning the gold medal at the Youth America Grand Prix in New York, in 2009. 

Like an amazing painting 

On returning to Europe in 2011, Young auditioned for Dutch National Ballet, and despite having been on a train all night long, he succeeded in getting a contract as a corps de ballet dancer. “I’d heard from other Korean dancers that the company had a wonderful and very diverse repertoire, and they were absolutely right. I’ve been given so many opportunities here and worked with so many fantastic choreographers, coaches and guest teachers.” And actually, he doesn’t really have a favourite ballet or role. “Whatever you dance, you make the role your own, which lends meaning to every work. During my training, there was a strong focus on technique, but my main aim is to be a dancer who touches people’s hearts. Like when you’ve seen an amazing painting and days later it’s still on your mind.”

Every time is different 

Young’s preference, therefore, is for creations into which he can put something of himself, so that his own emotions are stirred too. “Like Toer van Schayk’s 7th Symphony (for which he won the ‘Zwaan’ award for ‘Most impressive dance achievement’, in 2022 – ed.), but also all Hans van Manen’s pieces, where you have so much freedom to express yourself.” And classics like Giselle, La Bayadère, Swan Lake and – in particular – Rachel Beaujean’s version of Raymonda give him that scope as well. “Every time you dance those ballets, they’re different, and you can put more artistry and emotion into them. It’s like a good film you keep watching again and again, discovering new things in it every time.” 

Out of the box 

Since his promotion to principal, Young has performed all over the world as a guest artist, alongside his work with Dutch National Ballet. The room the company gave him to do so, he says, has allowed him to learn a lot. “You meet wonderful dancers and see how they approach things. Moreover, you often have only one rehearsal beforehand and you’re always dancing with new partners. All these experiences make your technique more consistent, which in turn creates more scope for artistic freedom.” It has also taught him to put things into perspective more and to think out of the box. “I used to always strive for perfection, but during those guest performances you find out that perfection doesn’t exist. You see that even the best dancers in the world aren’t infallible and realise that’s not such a bad thing after all.” That makes it easier, he says, to accept the fact that you can’t be equally good every day and to enjoy the moment more. “It’s no use clinging on to what you’ve achieved or to what’s been and gone, because everything is continually in flux. So live a day at a time! Okay, maybe you’re in a dip at the moment, but there’s no point getting stressed about it. Before you know it, a whole new phase will open up again.” 

Read more:

• Olga Smirnova & Young Gyu Choi nominated for Critics’ Choice 2022 ‘Dancer of the Year’
• Young Gyu Choi wins the Swan for ‘most impressive dance performance’