Chambumo Gyeong - 436. Background Of Universal Ballet
With the goal of creating a world culture of heart, and an ideal world of peace through cultural arts, on May 12, 1984, True Parents decided to establish Universal Ballet. Founded with the vision of "Heavenly Art Creating a World of Beauty," Universal Ballet is Korea's oldest privately funded professional ballet company. Since its first performance of "Cinderella," the company has grown to become Asia's best-known ballet company, having given more than 1,800 performances in 16 countries in addition to Korea. 1 Ballet is a western dance form, and the West is a Christian cultural realm. The Christian cultural realm is the culture of the bride. And this bride has fervently desired to make the Lord her bridegroom and settle in the family and the nation. The bride longs for the bridegroom. It is my hope that you can express your resolution to represent this union of the bride and bridegroom, that you can resolve the historical sorrow of God, and that you can dance the dance of liberation to move the entire universe. That is why I gave this company the name "Universal." (350-168, 2001/08/05) 2 Western society, the Christian cultural realm, considers ballet the most refined art form. This art attained its place of supremacy in Russia. I founded Universal Ballet in 1984. I called for training and preparation to make it the best company in the world. The Little Angels folk ballet that I founded in 1962 has attained a position of eminence in the world of eastern art and culture, and Universal Ballet has done the same in the world of western art and culture. This is a surprising historical fact, an accomplishment that will be praised in the future. In this way I laid a cornerstone that will stand forever in the new world culture. (310-269, 1999/07/22) 3 I have invisible strength. I founded Universal Ballet in the field of the arts. The western world is proud of its culture of ballet, and I am standing at its forefront. Western people have their cultural art forms and they are proud of them, but if you were to ask whether those art forms include hopeful messages or deeper meaning which will lead to a brighter future, you would find that they do not. Along with the rest of western culture, western ballet is gradually declining. It does not have a spiritual foundation and vision. Because it has developed an individualistic tendency, it lacks substance, and the traditional spirit of ballet has vanished.
I realized this and I took the lead. Although our race, religion, customs and nationalities are different, I am transcending all of that and bringing the fruits of civilizations together, establishing a new tradition. Now that this is plain for all to see, 14 years after I founded the ballet company in 1984, the western world is following my lead. From both the spiritual and the cultural viewpoints, we have ascended to the highest position. (293-148, 1998/05/26) 4 When I went out into the world, I had no doubts whatsoever. My mind was clear. All kinds of people came and went, and all sorts of incidents took place. Nonetheless, I rushed forward toward one single goal. I prepared everything for you to develop. All preparations have been made for you to enter the world s league of advanced nations. The existence of Universal Ballet attests to this. You have no idea how touching the story behind the company's founding was. It was so moving that The New York Times covered it with three full-page articles. Such a touching story is unparalleled in history. We made great leaps forward from there, and Universal Ballet has become a leading ballet company. (292-316, 1998/04/27) 5 I founded two companies for dance and musical performance, the Little Angels and Universal Ballet. Both in the West and the East, I have eminent performing arts groups that can sing and dance, bringing joy. To reach that level, performers have to practice over and over again, continually. Only a person who practices the same motion unceasingly hundreds and thousands of times can become a champion.
I saw that the traditional spirit of ballet had faded because America and the free world had become an empire of individualism. However, because Universal Ballet has attached great importance to establishing and maintaining a vertical tradition, and persevered through a difficult course, it is now a top class company.
That does not mean that you can now be arrogant. This is only the beginning. The whole world is waiting for you. Hence, to become the best, you need to seek perfection through continuous practice. If you do so, you will have an amazing foundation for the future. Dance, as part of the world of art, is a display of culture and spirit. We will come to own the arts, both eastern and western. The Little Angels represents the eastern arts, and Universal Ballet represents the western arts. (294-100, 1998/06/14) 6 You should pin your hopes on Universal Ballet. High-ranking women in western society cannot preserve their dignity if they are not capable of appreciating a ballet performance. Establishing that standard, you can bring together all the women of Europe, Russia, the United States and Latin America. If we were to do so, we would have an enormous organization that connects the leading women of the world. Through the Women's Federation for World Peace, I am planning to link Korea with Japan, and Japan with America and Europe. The performances of Universal Ballet and the Universal Ballet Academy can serve as a hub for a network of high-echelon leaders, a place where they can form personal relations and associations with one another that will be eternal. Your connection to this preeminent ballet company can be your family's source of pride. In this way, the most prominent families in the world can be brought together. (236-084, 1992/11/03) 7 A ballet performance should be created based on the Unification Principle—for instance, one that is about the difficulties I had to endure in prison. There is a person in Universal Ballet who can do that. When it comes to choreography, that person may well be the best in the world.
Among ballets, "La Bayadere" is a very difficult one to perform. To begin with, the group dances are difficult, but the solo dances are so difficult that only dancers of the highest caliber can undertake them. From a professional viewpoint, the personal skill of a ballerina can be assessed in a single moment. In the group dances, each dancer needs to keep in step, and move with the others in perfect unity. When the feet are lifted, they must not be lifted even a little bit too high. The sound of 50 or 100 dancers simultaneously descending from a jump must be like that of a single person. While watching their performance, I thought, "As good as they are, they need to practice a little more." (325-324, 2000/07/02) 8 In the future, our dance groups must be very strict about relationships between men and women. Loose relationships between men and women are common in the entertainment industry. Performers often have this problem, and it is a disgrace in the eyes of the world. We must change this. No matter how wonderful a performer is, if implicated in such a problem in even the smallest way, he or she cannot remain in Universal Ballet. In that way, we have to make a worldwide revolution by setting an example of alignment with God's Will. You should become the representatives who can bring an end to the current situation in the entertainment business, which has become the ground for promoting moral decay and social ills.
Those who understand this must initiate a revolution. Attempting to start a revolution with people who do not know about it or commit to it would be futile. Based on theoretical and practical viewpoints that match internally and externally, we need to create publicly-recognized, above-board standards. Because this issue interested me in the field of the performing arts, I founded the Little Angels and Universal Ballet, which have now climbed to the top positions worldwide. (338-093, 2000/10/29) |