Joo Won Ahn (born 1993) is a South Korean ballet dancer who is currently a principal dancer with the

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) in the spr ...

. Ahn was born in

Wonju Wonju (; ) is the most populous Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gangwon Province, South Korea, with a population of 364,860 as of 2023. The city is located approximately east of Seoul. History During the time of Joseon, Gr ...

. He trained at the Y.J. Ballet People Academy and Sunhwa Arts School, then entered the

Korea National University of Arts Korea National University of Arts () is a national university in Seoul, South Korea. Korea National University of Arts was established in 1993 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as the only national university of arts with an aim to ...

in 2012. In 2013, after he won a gold medal at the Youth America Grand Prix, he joined the

Studio Company. He became an apprentice with the main company in January the following year and was taken to the corps de ballet five months later. He became a soloist in 2019 and principal dancer in 2020, at age 26. He is the second Korean to reach this position, after Hee Seo.

References

Living people 1993 births People from Wonju South Korean male ballet dancers American Ballet Theatre principal dancers South Korean expatriates in the United States 21st-century ballet dancers {{SouthKorea-bio-stub