Korean dancer Park Sun-mi was promoted to principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre after performing in Swan Lake on July 15 at New York's Metropolitan Opera House. The 27-year-old reached the top rank five years after joining as an apprentice in 2021.
Park Sun-mi learned of her promotion to principal right after the performance. "I used to imagine that I would cry if I were promoted," she said. "But when the moment finally came, I had enjoyed the performance so much that I simply felt happy. More than anything, I was relieved that I had finished the show well." ABT artistic director Susan Jaffe made the announcement during the curtain call, with Park's mother watching from the audience.
She had debuted as Odette and Odile on June 20 and received the news after her second performance in the roles on July 15. The promotion takes effect with the 2026-27 season on Sept. 1, making her ABT's third Korean principal after Seo Hee and Ahn Joo-won. Another Korean dancer, Seo Yoon-jung, was promoted to soloist two days later.
Park credited her rigorous training at Sunhwa Arts Middle School, Sunhwa Arts High School and Korea National University of Arts for building her strong foundation. She will return briefly to Korea next month for gala performances, including one marking the 30th anniversary of Korea National University of Arts' School of Dance.
