Jae Yong Ohm

Retired Universal Ballet Principal Dancer / 2000 Alumnus

Jae Yong Ohm was born in Seoul, South Korea, and began ballet training when he was 13 years old. He studied ballet at Sun Hwa Arts Middle and High Schools and the Kirov Academy of Ballet, Washington, DC as well as Korea National University of Arts. Then he continued his studies at the Kookmin University Dance Department. Jae Yong Ohm joined Universal Ballet in 2000 and was rapidly promoted to Principal Dancer in 2002. He has received numerous awards, including the Danseur Noble Prize from the Korea Ballet Association in 2004, the Best Dance Performance Award from the Korea Ballet Association in 2005, an Award from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2014, the Young Artist Award of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2015, and the Best Dance Performance Award from the Korea Dance Association in 2016.

He appeared as a guest performer at Les Etoiles Du 21st Century Gala in Paris, France in 2002, at the Hungarian National Ballet in 2005, the Stars of World Ballet Gala in Hungary in 2005, the Stars of World Ballet Festival in Ukraine in 2005, the Romania Sibiu Ballet in 2010, the International Ballet Star Gala in Taipei in 2012, the Stars of the World Ballet in Kazan, Tatar in 2013 and the Indonesian Ballet Gala in 2017.

During his 17-year career as a principal dancer, he performed key roles in more than 1,000 performances, including the leads in major classical ballets such as Onegin (John Cranko), Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo & Juliet, Shim Chung, Don Quixote, and Giselle and featured roles in various contemporary works such as In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated (William Forsythe), Black Cake (Hans van Manen), Minus7 (Ohad Naharin), and Duende (Nacho Duato).

Jae Yong Ohm and Hye Min Hwang became each other's first love when they met during their school days, and both were well-known for their artistry and their chemistry on stage. After they tied the knot they danced together for many years as a married partnership of principal dancers, and after appearing in hundreds of performances together since 2002, they retired at the same time in 2017 with Universal Ballet’s Onegin as their final performance.