Seoul Metropolitan Ballet closes its season with a Hans van Manen tribute at the Sejong M Theater

The Seoul Metropolitan Ballet will close its 2026 season with a tribute to Hans van Manen, the Dutch choreographer who died in Amsterdam on Dec. 17, 2025, at 93. The program, titled "All for Hans van Manen," runs Nov. 19 to 22 at the Sejong M Theater inside the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul, marking the first anniversary of his death with a triple bill of his works.

The company, which operates under the Sejong Center, is adding two international dancers to the cast, according to the Korea Herald. Van Manen's choreography has shaped the troupe's identity since its founding in 2024: it staged the Asian premiere of his "Kammerballett" that October, its first licensed work by an international choreographer, and followed with "5 Tangos" in August 2025 under the guidance of Choi Young-gyu, a Dutch National Ballet principal who has worked with the company as a van Manen specialist, the Korea Herald reported at the time.

That history gives the November program weight beyond a standard season closer. The Seoul Metropolitan Ballet is Korea's third public ballet company, after the Korean National Ballet and Gwangju City Ballet, and was built from the start around contemporary repertoire and a rotating roster of season dancers hired on fixed terms instead of a permanent company, according to Yonhap's coverage of its 2024 launch. Opening its stage to international names, as with the two dancers joining for this run, has been part of that strategy since the company's earliest planning.

Audiences heading to the Sejong M Theater should treat the triple bill as a condensed introduction to van Manen's range, since the choreographer worked across tango-inflected drama, chamber-scaled abstraction and large ensemble architecture over a six-decade career in Amsterdam and The Hague. The Korea Herald's description of the program lists three of his works, continuing the company's practice of pairing a single choreographer's pieces across a full evening rather than scattering them through a mixed bill.

Tickets and showtimes for "All for Hans van Manen" are handled through the Sejong Center's own box office and ticketing site, where run dates, curtain times and seating prices are posted ahead of the Nov. 19 opening; prospective visitors should confirm current pricing and showtimes directly with the center before booking, since the Korea Herald's report did not specify ticket tiers. The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts is located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, a short walk from Gwanghwamun Gate, making the Nov. 19-22 run an easy add-on for travelers already covering the palace district that week. Details above were confirmed from Korea Herald reporting as of Oct. 22, 2026; readers should check the Sejong Center's listing closer to the dates for final showtimes and prices.