Kim Seo-yeun, 24, has become a featured face of the Finnish National Ballet and is set for major roles in its new season. She joined the company in 2020, was promoted to first soloist in 2024, and will appear in productions including Swan Lake and The Lady of the Camellias. Her path to the top was shaped by childhood speech difficulties, training in Germany and New York, and a decision to choose Finland for artistic growth and financial independence.
Kim Seo-yeun / Courtesy of Finnish National Ballet
The Finnish National Ballet has chosen a photo of Korean ballerina Kim Seo-yeun, 24, as the featured image on the website promoting its upcoming production of "The Lady of the Camellias," by choreographer John Neumeier, which will be staged next April.
Kim, who joined the company in 2020 and was promoted to first soloist in 2024, is set to take on leading roles in several productions in the new season, including "Swan Lake," which opens this month. Korean dancers performing with leading ballet companies around the world are no longer unusual, but Kim’s rise as the face of Finland’s national ballet company is notable.
Kim, who briefly returned to Korea during her summer vacation, spoke with Hankook Ilbo at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul.
