Suwon City Ballet · Suwon, Korea

Ballet that lives
in the city

Founded in 2007 as the first private ballet company in Suwon, Suwon City Ballet creates story-driven original and classical works and brings them to audiences on stage and across the community.

About · The Company

So that ballet may dwell
in everyday life

Suwon City Ballet (SCB), founded in 2007, is the first private ballet company in Suwon. It was created to make ballet a close and natural part of more people's lives, and is now in its nineteenth year on stage.

While cherishing the refined aesthetics and depth of classical ballet, the company creates performances whose stories and emotions audiences can readily connect with. Familiar tales, themes everyone can share, and events and values that must not be forgotten are told through dance, so that ballet becomes a shared experience, breathed and felt together.

The company's work does not stop at the stage. Each year, through charity performances in which its artists donate their work, outreach performances and collaborations, it has widened access to culture for people with developmental disabilities and underserved communities. Cross-genre collaborations with Korean traditional dance, live music and media art, and audience-friendly formats such as musical ballet and ballet with commentary, strengthen accessibility while keeping the essence of ballet intact.

“So that ballet may breathe and dwell in the everyday life of the city, and the art on stage may long remain in the memory of its audience.”

Company mission
Founded
2007 · Suwon's first private ballet company
Artistic Director
Kim Moon-shin 김문신
Status
Professional arts organization designated by Gyeonggi-do (2024)
2026 Residency
Resident company under the Gyeonggi-do theater-residency support program — in residence at Bitnuri Art Hall, Suwon Cultural Center
Repertoire
5 self-produced works — original ballet, family musical ballet, full-length classical ballet, ballet with commentary, and a new creation
Base
Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
2007Founded · Suwon's first private ballet company
19yrsOn stage
5Self-produced repertory works
Sold outMultiple productions

Repertoire · Works

Stories on stage

Fairy tales and history, classical and original. Five self-produced works, including a new creation to be shown in November 2026.

Scene from the original ballet ‘That Day’
01

Original Ballet · 80th Anniversary of Liberation

That Day그날, 서대문형무소 8번방의 메아리Echoes from Cell 8, Seodaemun Prison

“To Kim Hyang-hwa, on the day she cried out for independence”

Created for the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation, That Day centers on Kim Hyang-hwa, a woman independence activist of Suwon who raised the cry for independence at Hwaseong Haenggung Palace and was imprisoned alongside Yu Gwan-sun. Her life is retold through ballet fused with Korean traditional elements in costume, music and video. Since its sold-out premiere the work has been invited to the Suwon Ballet Festival and presented by the Suwon Cultural Foundation at Suwon SK Artrium. In 2026 it was performed at Bitnuri Art Hall (two full houses) and Onnuri Art Hall, and an excerpt was presented at the Suwon Ballet Festival.

Premiere Aug 2025 · Gyeonggi Arts Center Sold out · c. 500 c. 60 min · no intermission Ages 6+ · 17 dancers
Details in Korean
Scene from the family musical ballet ‘The Ugly Duckling’
02

Family Musical Ballet

The Ugly Duckling미운오리새끼A Musical Ballet

“The courage to accept difference — a story of loving oneself”

A contemporary retelling of Andersen's tale. Rather than the duckling's transformation into a swan, this educational family musical ballet focuses on self-realization, mended relationships and coexistence, carrying a message of self-esteem and respect beyond bullying. Alongside public performances, separate performances for invited audiences have been staged for children from underserved communities, multicultural families and child-protection institutions, with support from the Southern Gyeonggi-do Autonomous Police Commission and in collaboration with Suwon Jangan Police Station.

Premiere Dec 2025 · Bitnuri Art Hall c. 60 min · no intermission Ages 5+ Small to large venues
Details in Korean
Scene from ‘The Nutcracker’
03

Classical Ballet · Full-length

The Nutcracker호두까기인형Full-length production

“While everyone sleeps, into Clara's world of fantasy”

A full-length production of the Christmas classic, created so that audiences can see a complete Nutcracker in the city where they live. Fifty-five dancers took the stage in collaboration with local artists, and Korean traditional elements such as the janggu drum dance, together with projection mapping, deepen the immersion.

Dec 2024 · Jeongjo Theme Theater, Suwon Sold out · c. 600 55 dancers
Details in Korean
Scene from ‘Ballet with Commentary’
04

Audience Development · Educational

Ballet with Commentary해설이 있는 발레 · 시대를 춤추다Dancing Through the Eras

“Dancing the history of ballet, era by era”

A curated program that follows the history of ballet era by era — from court ballet through Romantic, Classical and modern works to Korean original ballet — with commentary and video that make ballet's development easy to grasp. Designed for first-time audiences and families. Next in the series: Dream of Winter (working title) — excerpts from Tchaikovsky's three great ballets, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, with commentary, at Bitnuri Art Hall in December 2026 (dates to be confirmed).

Next · Dec 2026 · Dream of Winter (working title) Series XI · Sept 2024 · Suwon SK Artrium c. 1,500 audience members · 900 people with disabilities invited
Details in Korean
Poster for ‘Mun — Ask · Listen · Open’
05

New Creation · Showcase 2026

Mun — Ask · Listen · Open문 — 묻고·듣고·열다New Creation

“230 years of Hwaseong Fortress — into the age of King Jeongjo”

A new creation marking the 230th anniversary of the construction of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, built by King Jeongjo. The work translates the history of Suwon and the age of Jeongjo into the language of ballet, and will be shown first as a showcase at Bitnuri Art Hall, Suwon Cultural Center, on November 21, 2026. The Korean title Mun (문) plays on three characters all pronounced mun: 門 (gate), 問 (ask) and 聞 (listen). The work was first announced under the working title The City of Jeongjo; casting and credits will be announced.

Showcase · Nov 21, 2026 Bitnuri Art Hall, Suwon Cultural Center Hwaseong Fortress 230th anniversary
Details in Korean

Beyond the Stage · Community & Collaboration

Ballet that reaches further

Charity and outreach, cross-genre collaboration, and festival stages — the company's work beyond its own productions.

I

Community & Charity

  • Annual charity performances in which the company's artists donate their work, and performances for invited audiences with developmental disabilities and from underserved communities
  • “Harmony in New Light” — Suwon festival for people with developmental disabilities, a joint stage with the company's dancers · Gyeonggi Arts Center (Sept 2025)
  • Tailored ballet classes for children with developmental disabilities · Suwon city partnership program (2025)
  • Free open ballet classes taught by company dancers · Bitnuri Art Hall studio (2026)
  • Outreach at community and welfare centers — short excerpts, talks and hands-on movement sessions for children, teenagers and seniors
II

Music, Dance & Media

  • Suwon New Year's Concert 2026 with the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra · Gyeonggi Arts Center (Jan 2026)
  • Orchestral and chamber collaborations — Bucheon Art Center, Gimpo Art Hall, Yongin Poeun Art Hall (2024–2026)
  • “Munru, Awakening” (the gate pavilion awakens) — Korean traditional dance and video collaboration at a national dance festival (annually, 2023–2026)
  • Suwon Hwaseong Media Art — media performances in front of Hwaseomun Gate: with the Korean dance company Chumpan, three shows nightly for 18 days (2026). In 2025 the company performed at the Hwaseomun Gate site for 17 days (2025)
III

Festivals & Public Invitations

  • 2026 Suwon Ballet Festival “Ballet in Suwon” — with the Korean National Ballet, Incheon City Ballet and AHAM Art Project · Suwon SK Artrium (Sept 2026)
  • GPAM Gyeonggi Performing Arts Market — pitching and showcase (June 2026)
  • Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival · Banghwasuryujeong Pavilion (Oct 2025)
  • That Day — Suwon Cultural Foundation presentation · Suwon SK Artrium (Dec 2025)

Seasons · 2024–2026

Recent and upcoming

Selected engagements, 2024–2026. The full performance record is on the Korean site.

Upcoming

Dec 2026

Dream of Winter (working title) — excerpts from Tchaikovsky's three great ballets, with commentary

Bitnuri Art Hall, Suwon Cultural Center · dates to be confirmed

Nov 2026

Mun — Ask · Listen · Open — showcase

Bitnuri Art Hall, Suwon Cultural Center · November 21, 4 p.m.

2026

Sept–Oct

2026 Suwon Hwaseong Media Art — media performance

Hwaseomun Gate stage · with Chumpan · three shows nightly, 18 days

Sept

2026 Suwon Ballet Festival “Ballet in Suwon” — excerpt from That Day

Suwon SK Artrium · with the Korean National Ballet, Incheon City Ballet and AHAM Art Project

Aug

That Day — 81st anniversary of Liberation

Bitnuri Art Hall (two performances) · Onnuri Art Hall, Suwon Youth Culture Center

Both Bitnuri performances at full capacity
June

GPAM Gyeonggi Performing Arts Market — pitching and showcase

May

The Ugly Duckling — charity performance for guests with disabilities

Bitnuri Art Hall

Jan

Suwon New Year's Concert — with the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra

Gyeonggi Arts Center Grand Theater

2025

Dec

The Ugly Duckling — premiere

Bitnuri Art Hall, Suwon Cultural Center

Dec

That Day — Suwon Cultural Foundation presentation

Suwon SK Artrium

Sept–Oct

Suwon Media Art 2025 — media performance

Hwaseomun Gate, Suwon Hwaseong Fortress · 17 days

Aug

That Day — Echoes from Cell 8, Seodaemun Prison — premiere

Gyeonggi Arts Center Small Theater

Sold out · c. 500

2024

Dec

The Nutcracker — full-length

Jeongjo Theme Theater, Suwon

Sold out · c. 600 · 55 dancers
Sept

Ballet with Commentary XI

Suwon SK Artrium

c. 1,500 audience members · 900 people with disabilities invited
Full performance record (Korean)

For Presenters · Touring & Collaboration

Working with us

That Day and The Ugly Duckling each run about 60 minutes without intermission and can be presented as stand-alone performances, education-linked programs or public-partnership projects.

WorkFormatTrack recordSuited to
That Day — Echoes from Cell 8, Seodaemun Prison Original ballet
c. 60 min · ages 6+ · 17 dancers · mid-to-large stages		 Sold-out premiere, Aug 2025 (c. 500). Invited to the Suwon Ballet Festival and presented by the Suwon Cultural Foundation; two full houses at Bitnuri Art Hall, Aug 2026. Commemorative and heritage programs, history-linked education, city festivals
The Ugly Duckling — A Musical Ballet Family musical ballet
c. 60 min · ages 5+ · small to large venues		 Premiere Dec 2025. Public runs alongside separate performances for invited children, in cooperation with public institutions. Family and children's programming, education and prevention campaigns
The Nutcracker Classical ballet · full-length · large-scale production Dec 2024, Jeongjo Theme Theater — sold out (c. 600), 55 dancers with local artists. Year-end season programming
Ballet with Commentary Lecture-performance · audience development Eleven editions. Sept 2024, Suwon SK Artrium — c. 1,500 audience members, 900 people with disabilities invited. First-time audiences, family series, outreach

Excerpts and gala programs can also be arranged. Performance videos are on our YouTube channel; for detailed production information and stage requirements, contact us with your preferred dates, venue and audience profile.

Contact · Inquiries

Looking for partners to create performances together

We welcome inquiries about bookings, programming and collaboration from presenters and partners in Korea and abroad.

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