Life Lessons Through Ballet

 

Hee Seo in Mariinsky

Starting Ballet in such a young age, she learned her life lesson through ballet. In the Pointe interview, she mentioned that dancers that lack originality will not do well in ABT.  Another interesting fact about Hee Seo is that in the beginning of her career, she held a false idea that she was going to dance a full-length ballet by herself.  However, ballet is never an individual work, “It’s teamwork” (Pointe),  she says. Now she has learned to accept others’ points of views and be honest to her partner about her perspectives. During the retirement of the three principal dancers, she lacked confidence to take the lead of the team as she did not expect herself to be promoted as a principal dancer. Just like when she was chosen to be the lead for one of the four groups, she gave  the lead back to the senior dancers as she thinks that she was not able to handle it. 

Academy, Kirov. “Alumni Hee Seo - Kirov Academy of Washington D.C.” Kirov Academy of Washington D.C., 3 June 2020, kirovacademydc.org/alumni/alumni-spotlight/alumni-hee-seo/ . Accessed 28 Sept. 2025.

Kourlas, Gia. “Hee Seo, American Ballet Theater Principal.” The New York Times, 3 May 2013, www.nytimes.com/2013/05/05/arts/dance/hee-seo-american-ballet-theater-principal.html.

Rubin, Hanna. “Why ABT Principal Hee Seo Loves the Art of Giving Back.” Pointe Magazine, 15 Apr. 2019, pointemagazine.com/hee-seo-abt/#gsc.tab=0. Accessed 28 Sept. 2025.

Se-jeong, Kim. “Ballerina Seo Hee Marks 20 Years at ABT, Gives back to Young Dancers in Korea.” Koreatimes.co.kr, The Korea Times, 22 Aug. 2025, www.koreatimes.co.kr/lifestyle/people-events/20250822/ballerina-seo-hee-marks-20-years-at-abt-gives-back-to-young-dancers-in-korea. Accessed 28 Sept. 2025.

Wendy Perron. DanceMedia "Dance Magazine, Vol. 87, no. 5, "May, 2013." , Alexander Street,  2013. https://search.alexanderstreet.com/view/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cbibliographic_details%7C3909719.  Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.

Rubin, Hanna. “ABT's Homegrown Ballerinas: Isabella Boylston, Hee Seo and Sarah Lane

.” Pointe Magazine, May 31, 2015, https://pointemagazine.com/abt-ballerinas-boylston-lane-seo/#gsc.tab=0. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.