Prix de Lausanne winner Park Youn-jae says competition stage was his childhood dream
Published: 11 Feb. 2025, 16:05
![Korean ballerino Park Youn-jae, winner of the best young talent award and winner of the first scholarship, performs his contemporary variation during the final of the 53rd Prix de Lausanne, in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Feb. 8. [EPA/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/02/11/45f3cd6d-5079-47ff-bcc0-500bb98413fa.jpg)
Korean ballerino Park Youn-jae, winner of the best young talent award and winner of the first scholarship, performs his contemporary variation during the final of the 53rd Prix de Lausanne, in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Feb. 8. [EPA/YONHAP]
Korean ballerino Park Youn-jae, the country's first male winner of the 2025 Prix de Lausanne, said Tuesday he had dreamed of competing on the prestigious stage since childhood.
"I have practiced ballet by watching performance videos from the stage ever since I started dancing," he said in a written interview with Yonhap News Agency.
On Saturday, the 16-year-old won the top prize at the competition, held at the Beaulieu Theatre in Switzerland, a globally renowned event for young ballet dancers aged 15 to 18.
"It was an honor to dance on the very stage I had always dreamed of, to be taught by incredible teachers and share the experience with fellow dancers," he said, adding he has received an outpouring of congratulatory messages since his victory.
Famed ballerina Kang Sue-jin was the first South Korean to win an award at the competition in 1985, and Park's victory marks the first time a Korean dancer has won the event since Park Se-eun in 2007.
Despite the high stakes, he said he was not very nervous on stage as he felt no pressure to win. "I just focused on enjoying the moment and performing without regret," he said.
"I want to be a dancer who shines like a star, connects with audiences and expresses my emotions through movement," he said.
Park's journey in ballet began at the age of 5 when he tagged along with his older sister to her ballet class. What started as a pastime quickly turned into a passion.
By fourth grade, he decided to pursue ballet seriously, and in fifth grade, he enrolled at the Korea National Institute for Gifted in Arts under Korea National University of Arts. He is currently a student at Seoul Arts High School.
"I've learned that the true value of dance emerges when you genuinely enjoy it," he said. "To any dancer struggling at the moment, I want to say: don't doubt the path you've walked. Believe in yourself." Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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