A native of Seoul, Hae Shik Kim received her training at Ewha Woman’s University and The Royal Ballet Upper School in London. She danced with the Zurich Opera Ballet and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and as Prima Ballerina with the Korea National Ballet Company.
Following her retirement from the stage, Kim taught at California State University at Fresno for 17 years. From 1993 through 1996 she was an Artistic Director of the Korea National Ballet Company. She was founding Dean of the School of Dance of the Korea National University of Arts and taught there for 11 years.
Kim is a familiar presence at competitions around the world, having served on panels of competitions in Varna, Jackson, New York, Helsinki, Beijing, Lausanne and Cape Town. She also serves as Artistic Director of the Seoul International Dance Competition. She is Chief Executive Officer of both the Seoul International Dance Network and the Korea Youth Ballet Stars. Among her awards are the Ilmin Arts & Culture Prize and the Ock Kwan Medal from the Korean Government.
Photo above: Hae Shik Kim represented the Republic of Korea as a juror for the 2014 USA International Ballet Competition.