Lee Joo-mi wins grand prix at Paris Dance Concourse

Lee Joo-mi (23), an emerging star in Korean contemporary dance, acquired the grand prix at the Paris International Dance Concourse in France.

Lee ranked No. 1 and acquired the grand prix in the contemporary solo category of the 2016 Paris International Dance Concourse, which ended in France on February 14, according to the Korea National University of Arts said on Wednesday. The grand prix is awarded only to the dancer who is judged to be the best among the top dancers in respective categories.

Lee has shown stellar performance in major domestic and international dance competitions in recent years. Starting with the gold prize for students at the contemporary dance category of the Dong-A Dance Concourse in 2009, she received the grand prix at the Korea International Contemporary Dance Concourse and the Dong-A Dance Concourse in 2012, ranked No. 1 for female seniors in the contemporary category of the Seoul International Dance Concourse in 2013, and acquired the grand prix at the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition in New York in 2014. Currently, she is a member of the Laboratory Dance Project (LDP) troupe.

Experts say that Lee nicely performs delicate motions of muscles despite her skinny body. A source in the dance community said, “In the work she performed at the latest concourse, she displayed outstanding performance that expressed sadness by using her small muscles. She showed strong capacities to express herself and communicate through motions.” Shin Chang-ho, a contemporary dance professor at the university said, “She again earned recognition at the event. She was even offered to conduct performance by the Paris Opera Ballet Theater.”

The Paris International Dance Concourse, which was established by the city of Paris in 1971, is a competition that is aimed at discovering and promoting dance performances by up-and-coming dancers. The event is held biennially in the categories of classic and contemporary, and considered one of the world’s most prestigious competitions along with the Jackson Concourse in the U.S.

김동욱 기자creating@donga.com