The audience roared with cheers and applause as the curtain fell on the Lotte World Arts Theater stage after a 90-minute performance.

Their admiration was sent to a non-verbal musical titled “The Ballerina who Fell in Love with a B-Boy,” a production that combines the best of the Korean break dance culture and the elegance of classic ballet. Since its debut in December 2005, the production has traveled to China, New York, the Edinburg Fringe Festival in England, and other parts of the world and earned high acclaims for its artistry and popular appeal. The musical is still being invited to a number of overseas events to delight foreign audiences. Here’s Mr. Choi Yun-yeop, the head of the musical’s production company, Show B-Boy.

We have been receiving invitations since 2006. We put on 50 performances for 40 days on Broadway and 30 days in England. The musical was also performed many times in Beijing, Shanghai, Guam, Japan, Colombia, and Singapore. Europe sends us the most number of invitations, followed by South America, North America, and of course Asia. A 730-seat theater is being built in Beijing exclusively for this production. It will be the first privately funded commercial theater on Beijing’s 798 art district.

Just like other long-running non-verbal performances “Nanta” and “Jump,” “The Ballerina who Fell in Love with a B-Boy” also has its own venue at the Lotte World Arts Theater. And just as a tourist to Broadway in New York should watch a show or two there, it would make a wonderful experience to watch a performance of world-class B-boys in Korea. So get ready to be electrified by the dynamic break dancers of Korea in “The Ballerina who Fell in Love with a B-Boy.”

The term “B-boy” refers to a male dancer who performs hip hop culture’s signature break dance, which has grown to become a new cultural sensation worldwide.

The encroachment of Latinos into Harlem gave rise to an all-out clash for dominance over the district between the blacks and the Latinos. As hip hop became popular, each group went over to the other’s turf and danced hip hop to show off their prowess. This was how the hip hop battle came to be and it evolved into professional break dancers’ competition of today. B-boys may have originated in New York, but the B-boy world champion today is Korea. Here’s Mr. Choi Yun-yeop, the head of the musical’s production company, Show B-Boy to explain more about Korea’s rise in the hip hop dance culture.

Korean B-boys can be likened to Brazilian soccer players. Break dance was not officially imported into Korea, but Korean break dancers learned it on their own and started showing off remarkable skills at world competitions beginning in the early 2000s, stunning the B-boys from early hip hop adopter nations. They applauded the exceptional techniques, inborn sense of rhythm, and artistic interpretations of Korean B-boys, propelling Korea into the top of the break dance scene. In fact, Korean break dancers almost swept all international dance competitions. For instance, there’s a tournament called “Battle of the Year,” which is dubbed the B-boy World Cup. Regional qualifying competitions are held worldwide to send three teams from each continent, that’s 18 teams, plus crews from the hosting nation and former champion nation. In total 20 crews battle for the championship. Korea has come out on top or in runner-up position every year for nearly a decade now.

Battle of the Year, often called BOTY for short, is the World Cup of the break dance world, which used to be held in Germany until 2009 and now in France. At the 2010 BOTY International Korea’s Jinjo crew was crowned the champion.

Break dance was introduced to Korea in the 1990s as hip hop groups like Seo Tai-ji and Boys, Deuce, and Noise began to gain popularity. Just ten years since then Korea has become the world’s top hip hop dance nation. What are the special appeals of Korean B-boys?

Korean B-boys are fierce. Their ferocity and intensity overpower other B-boys. Korean break dance is very powerful, similar to Korean folk band Namsadang. It has merriness and explosiveness, which amazes foreigners. Western dance may look flashy, but seems to lack a certain pizzazz or explosive energy and passion. But Korean B-boys draw ardent spirit from deep within, and have changed the break dance scene forever.

The passion, vivacity, spirit, and fun of traditional Namsandang band have been passed down to Korean B-boys and combined with ballet to create a world-class non-verbal performance. Dynamic B-boys make their entrance to the majestic sound of an orchestra and accompanying them is a ballerina in hip hop attire. This is the charm of “The Ballerina who Fell in Love with a B-Boy.”

We decided to use B-boys as a subject of an artistic production. Pop culture was not accepted in theaters back then. So we thought combining hip hop dance with ballet and making a compelling production would show people the value of pop culture. Classic ballet and underground hip hop dance run opposite of each other in every aspect, but somehow go well with each other. These two dance disciplines do not clash with each other, but complement each other to upgrade their value.

Imbued with the free spirit of hip hop, this break dance performance is different from conventional productions in many ways. For instance, the audience is allowed more freedom.

The audience can make calls during the show, and shout and even dance together with the performers. Joining in on the performance wholeheartedly is what the show producers and performers want. And that’s probably what the ballerina felt when she fell in love with a B-boy. The audience is full of excitement even before the show begins, and their anticipation is answered when the B-boys make their flashy appearance.

About a dozen B-boys enter the stage and strut their stuff at a hip hop plaza set up near a ballet studio.

But ballerinas So-yeon and Seon-hee are put off by the boys’ showy moves. The girls decide to one-up them with their own dance.

Ballet versus hip hop. It’s a battle where no one can claim an upper hand. But then a charismatic B-boy named Seok-yun catches So-yeon’s eyes. It’s love at first sight.

After leaving Seok-yun behind, So-yeon cannot focus on her ballet practice. She can’t help thinking about the brash yet strangely attractive boy.

A ballerina can’t mingle with B-boys, thinks So-yeon. But she at last decides to give up ballet and show up at the hip hop plaza dressed up like a B-girl. Despite her transformation, the B-boys refuse to accept her as a part of their crew and try to bully her. But then Seok-yun appears just in time to save So-yeon from the guys, and the two demonstrate that they’re made for each other by dancing an amazing hip hop number.

The B-boys are convinced of So-yeon’s commitment and awed by her exceptional dancing skills. They welcome her into their fold, and, of course, So-yeon and Seok-yun are finally in love. What started as a confrontation between the B-boys and the ballerinas ended up presenting the audience with a message of understanding, love, and unity. Here’s Mr. Choi Yun-yeop, the head of the musical’s production company, Show B-Boy.

The hip hop dances in the musical represent the marginalized people of the society and the ballerinas the upper class. The less fortunate class tends to collide with the powers-that-be, which is played out in the performance as a hip hop plaza being set up near what used to be a peaceful and quiet ballet studio. The two parties look down on each other and feud with their pride on the line. Just then, a B-boy who knows how to be considerate of others captures the heart of a ballerina, making her realize that she is not someone special, but an ordinary person just like the B-boys. She realizes that ballet is barring her from loving someone completely and decides to win her love by giving up her privileged life and relating to the masses.

The B-boys’ powerful dance is followed by an elegant ballet performance. Their combination seemed so incompatible that even the actors who portrayed them could not get into their roles. Here’s Baek Myeong-hun, who plays one of the B-boys.

I used to do only break dance performances. I’ve never seen a ballet performance before. This production was the first time that I got to perform together with ballet dancers. I found out that they had concerns different from ours. Instead of power and freedom we care about, the ballerinas worked on their lines and emotional expressions.

Despite their differences, the cast members came to understand and learn each other’s genre through rehearsals. Here’s Hong Hyeon-yeong, who plays the role of So-yeon the ballerina.

The movements are different. Ballerinas mostly use legs, while B-boys rely on the hands. They’re completely opposite. The two genres appear totally different and contrary, but are actually similar in that they express joy through movement and rhythm. The two dance forms were bound to complement each other.

After watching the 90-minute performance of break dance and ballet, people feel their spirits rejuvenated.

- It was really enjoyable and more energetic than what I’ve seen on TV. The actions were flashy and impressive. It was amazing when the B-boys came out to do a dance battle one by one.
- The story was beautiful. Although I’m over forty years old, I realized that break dance is not only for teenagers. Break dance harmonized well with ballet. It was a performance that can be enjoyed by everyone, from children to adults.
-Break dance and ballet are totally different genres. But they were combined so well. Their performances and dances were phenomenal.
- I was able to see the cheerful vivacity of Korean people in the music and dance of B-boys. The fact that we were able to become one with the music was nice. The dynamic young dancers became one with the audience.

To thank the audience who got into the show wholeheartedly, the B-boys put on a 15-minute encore performance.

The best way to enjoy “The Ballerina who Fell in Love with a B-boy” is to applaud and dance with the performers until the body is drenched in sweat. Nobody tells you to sit down or be quiet at this non-verbal extravaganza. Come and experience the quintessence of break dance and B-boy culture at the performance of “The Ballerina who Fell in Love with a B-boy.”