Youngseo Ko as Odette in the Swan Lake

Youngseo Ko 영서 고 as Odette in the Swan Lake, music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, choreography by Natalia Makarova. Klassisk Mesteraften / Classic Masters evening at The Norwegian Opera and Ballet. Musical director and conductor Vello Pähn. Shot on 11.5.2024 in Oslo.

Youngseo Ko 영서 고 is a soloist with the Norwegian National Ballet. South Korean Ko began dancing in her hometown of Seoul at the age of seven. She was admitted to the national art academy at the age of ten and continued at the Sunhwa Arts High School before receiving a scholarship from the Princess Grace Academy in Monaco, completing her ballet training at the age of 18. She won first place in the Korea International Ballet Competition in Seoul in 2014 and 2013, in the Concorso Internazionale Danza Sicilia Barocca in 2014 and in the Sunhwa Arts High Schools dance competition in 2012.

Ko is a graduate of the Princess Grace Academy in Monaco, a school famous for producing dancers with an almost otherworldly refinement. Her training is evident in her geometric clarity. In the White Swan pas de deux, her arabesque penchée and développés aren’t just flexible; they are structurally perfect. Her transition from the Sunhwa Arts High School to Monaco gave her a hybrid strength—the rigorous Korean discipline paired with European “ballon” and elegance.

Many dancers “flap” their arms, but Ko initiates the movement from the upper back and shoulder blades, creating a fluid, liquid ripple that truly mimics a swan’s wing. She has a remarkable ability to use her neck to convey Odette’s vulnerability. Her épaulement (the positioning of the head and shoulders) feels less like a rehearsed pose and more like a bird’s instinctive caution.

Despite her relatively young career (moving from NNB2 to the main company), Ko avoids the “melodramatic” trap. Her Odette is characterized by a “glacial” purity. Instead of over-acting, she lets the classical choreography—the stillness and the slow, controlled balances—dictate the emotion. Her technical stability allows her to maintain the “white” purity of Odette, making the inevitable transition to the fiery, sharp-edged Odile (the Black Swan) much more jarring and effective for the audience.

© Photos by Jack Devant Ballet Photography with the kind permission of The Norwegian Opera and Ballet, special thanks to Ingrid Lorentzen and Xander Parish