Kiyoka Hashimoto and Young Gyu Choi in the Carnival in Venice, Satanella

Kiyoka Hashimoto and Young Gyu Choi in Pas de deux from the Carnival in Venice, Satanella, music by Cesare Pugni, choreography by Marius Petipa. Weltstar Gala, organised by Kirill Kourlaev and Olga Esina, shot on 13.10.2018 in Volkstheater Vienna.

See all galleries from Weltstar Gala 2018

See all galleries from Weltstar Gala 2018

Kiyoka Hashimoto is currently a prima ballerina with Wiener Staatsoper ballet company. Born in Hyogo (Japan), Hashimoto was educated at the Izumi Ballet in Japan and at the Cannes Jeune Ballet. In 2004 she became a member of the Dresden Semperoper Ballett. In 2008 she joined the Ballett der Wiener Staatsoper und Volksoper, where she was appointed to Demi-soloist in 2010. In 2012 she became Soloist of the Wiener Staatsballett. 2016 she was promoted First Soloist (prima ballerina).

Young Gyu Choi is a Principal with Dutch National Ballet. The South Korean Young Gye Choi has been with Dutch National Ballet since 2011. He began in the corps the ballet and worked his way up to the rank of principal in five years time. In December 2015, after his debut as the prince in Nutcracker and Muizenkoning, he was promoted to the first soloist. He has danced with the Korea National Ballet and Universal Ballet in Seoul. Young started his training at the age of eight, and was trained at the Sunhwa Arts School in Seoul and the Tanz Akademie Zürich from 2006 – 2008 (Switzerland). In 2006, Young participated in the International Ballet Competition in Varna and came in second; four years later, in 2010, he entered the competition again and won the first prize. That same year, he also came in first in the Boston International Competition. In 2007 he won the first prize in the Youth America Grand Prix in New York. In 2010 he also won first prize at the Boston International Competition. In 2017 Young was awarded the Alexandra Radius Award.

Photo by Jack Devant ballet photography © special thanks to Olga Esina and Kirill Kourlaev