Retired Principal Dancer UBC & International Actress /Alumni 1998

Yena’s rehearsal of the scene where she jumps into the water had to be stopped several because of her fear of heights but she is determined that it will be different this time.  She hopes, with the maturity that the passing time has brought to her dancing, that her performance will touch the hearts of the general public and bring to mind nostalgic memories with their parents.

Yena Kang was born in Korea, and studied ballet at SunHwa Arts School, the Royal Ballet School in London and Kirov Academy of Ballet, Washington. After graduation, she went to the Kirov Ballet and in 1996 joined Universal Ballet. She left Universal Ballet in 1998, spending six years in American Ballet Theater. She returned to Universal Ballet in 2004, as a Principal dancer.

Yena was named most sincere dancer by Dance Magazine at the 2nd Maya Plisetskaya International Ballet Competition, and won the Masako Ohya award at the 6th Paris International Dance Competition in 1994.

Her repertory as a principal dancer includes lead roles in Onegin (John Cranko), Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Nutcracker, and La Bayadere. She has been featured in contemporary works including Jean-Paul Comelin's Requiem, Nacho Duato's  Na Floresta, and Heinz Spoerli's All Shall Be, and dancer the Ballerina in Christopher Wheeldon's Variations Serieuses.

"Ms Kang was a Delicate Odette and her adagio flowed limpidly along." -The New York Times

2019 USA network TV <treadstone> role of Sungmi.

2019 KBS Korean Mini-series TV drama <Angel's Last Mission; Love> role of Elena.

2018 Play <My Father Inside a Sheath>

2016 Short film <Like a Butterfly>, <Ugly Plan>

2015  Lecturer of <Inside Ballet with Yena Kang>, 

2015  Main MC of <The Inner View> (an hour long talk show) at Arirang TV. (English-Korean TV chanel sponsored by the government)

2014   Guest ballet professor at Korean National Sport University 

2004~2013   Principal Dancer with the Universal Ballet Company(UBC)

1998~2004   Dancer with the American Ballet Theater (1st Korean dancer)

1996~1998    Principal Dancer with the UBC (the youngest Principal Dancer)

1994~1996    Dancer with the Kirov Ballet, currently The Marinsky Theater in Russia. (1st Korean dancer)

1997    Main MC of <Arts Together> at Arte TV Chanel in Korea.

Roles include

Swan Lake (Odette/Odile)

Onegin (Tatiana)

Giselle (Giselle)

Sleeping Beauty  (Aurora)

Romeo & Juliet  (Juliet, Lady Capulet)

La Sylphide

DQ (Kitry)

La Bayadere (Nikiya)

Shim-Chung (Shim-Chung)

Theme and Variations (the lead. Balanchine)

Serenade (Balanchine)

Variation Serieuses  (the lead. Christopher Wheeldon)

Na Floresta, Duende by Nacho

Black Cake by Hans Van Manen

All Shall Be (the lead) by Heinz Spoerli

etc...

2014   Danced at the Opening Ceremony performance for the 2014 Inchon Asian Game

2014~2015  Play <Ballet Athletes> at Dae-hak-ro (Korean Broadway)

Education 

1991~1994   Kirov Academy in Washington DC, USA

1991~1994   Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School in Maryland, USA

1989~1991   The Royal Ballet School, White Lodge. England  (1st Korean student)

1988~1989  Sun-Hwa Arts School, Korea

Awards and Prizes

2009  <Artist of the year> award given by the administration of Korean Culture and Tourism

2005  <Prima Ballerina Award> by Korea Ballet Association 

1997  <New Comer Award> by Korea Ballet Association 

1996   The 2nd Maya Plisetskaya Competition  <Best Interpret Prize>

1995   The 6th Paris International Dance Competition  <Masako Oya Prize>

1989   Gold medal from the DAOK (Dance Association of Korea) Competition 

etc...