Argentinean Julio Bocca visits Korea as judge for ballet competition

This reporter met Argentinean dancer Julio Bocca, who is visiting Korea for the first time to serve as a judge at the First International Scholarship Korean Ballet Competition, which was held at Mapo Arts Center on Thursday. Before retiring as dancer in 2007, he served as principal dancer at the American Ballet Theater for 20 years.

Award-winning dancer Julio Bocca is the winner of the gold prize at the 1985 Moscow International Ballet Concourse, the 1989 New York Times "Dancer of the Year," and the best male dancer at the 1992 Benois de la Danse, which is dubbed the Academy Award of the dance community. Currently, he is serving as the art director of the BNS national theater in Uruguay with the longest history in Latin America.

His farewell performance in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2007 is still discussed among ballet fans. Back then, more than 300,000 people visited the site to watch his performance. “Since so many people visited to see my farewell performance, I felt like I was a rock star. I am grateful for being able to increase the popularity of ballet in Argentina.”

He is serving as the chief judge of the Rosanne International Ballet Concourse in Switzerland, one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the world. Watching Korean ballet dancers’ stellar performances in many concourses recently, he said he wished to visit Korea.

“Korean dancers are not only equipped with superb technique, but they are also armed with artistic merit. I was wondering how they are armed with the two merits even at young ages," he said. "Since there is no Korean ballet dancer at the Uruguay national ballet theater just yet, I hope to discover a new ballet dancer as well.”

김동욱 기자creating@donga.com