Hee Seo

Hee Seo (; born 13 March 1986) is a South Korean ballet dancer who is a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), one of the three leading classical ballet companies in the United States. She became the company's first Korean ballerina to be promoted to principal dancer in ABT's 75-year history. She is also one of the youngest dancers in ABT history to be promoted to principal at the age of twenty-six. The New York Times has described her style and dancing to "exude an unhurried purity that sums up all that is lovely about ballet" and by Vogue as "unspeakably lissome". Several critics have noted her style as "lyrical and open" and she has been critically acclaimed for her "humility" and "unique feminine strength". Seo started her formal dance training at age eleven, which is a fairly late start for a ballet dancer. Jillian Laub from movmnt has described Seo as having "the perfect body for ballet". At thirteen, she was invited to attend and awarded a full three-year scholarship to study under Alla Sizova at the Kirov Academy of Ballet (formerly the Universal Ballet Academy) in Washington DC. That same year, Seo won the Grand Prix at the 2003 Youth America Grand Prix. John Meehan asked her to join the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company in the following year where she stayed until joining American Ballet Theatre as an apprentice in May 2005. She was able to adapt with the assistance of her mentors who also at the time helped her overcome a serious back injury.

She became a soloist in August 2010 and principal dancer in July 2012. She was the first Korean ballerina to be promoted to principal dancer in ABT's 75-year history and, at age 26, one of the company's youngest dancers to be so promoted. Her promotion drew further attention as Seo was one of only three principal dancers in the company to have been promoted from the ABT Studio Company. Seo has said that Swan Lake was her most challenging ballet. The iconic classic ballet is notoriously difficult and demanding. The lead ballerina performs the contrasting roles of Odette, the White Swan, and Odile, the Black Swan. Seo has said, "when I dance with Cory, I feel like I’m going back to those years". Alastair Macaulay of The New York Times on Seo's performance, "she has most revealed the distinctiveness, elegance and authority of an important ballerina". including Bolle's final performance with ABT.

Seo models for Bloch and wears their pointe shoes.

Full length ballets

Polyhymnia George Balanchine

Nikiya, Gamzatti, the Lead D'Jampe and Shade Natalia Makarova, after Marius Petipa

Cinderella Frederick Ashton

Twig James Kudelka

Mercedes and flower girl Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorsky

The Glove Seller Léonide Massine

Giselle and Zulma Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa

Caroline Antony Tudor

Olympia John Neumeier

The Moor's Wife José Limón

Natalia Petrovna Frederick Ashton

Tatiana John Cranko

Odette-Odile, the pas de trois, the Polish Princess and a big swan Kevin McKenzie, after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov

The Sylph August Bournonville

Ceres Frederick Ashton

Blanche Ingram Cathy Marston