Ballerina Kang Sue-jin Takes Her Final Bow in Germany

Ballerina Kang Sue-jin receives a standing ovation after the final performance of her 30-year career in Stuttgart, Germany on Saturday. /Courtesy of the Stuttgart Ballet

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Ballerina Kang Sue-jin brought the curtain down on her long, celebrated career with a performance of "Onegin" in Stuttgart, Germany on Saturday.

As she took her final curtain call to a standing ovation, some audience members held up placards reading "Danke Sue-jin", meaning "Thank you Sue-jin" in German.

As the stage filled with flowers and gifts thrown from the audience, Kang's fellow dancers and Stuttgart Ballet staff members each handed her a red rose.

Kang's final performance came exactly 30 years after she joined the Stuttgart Ballet in 1986. She moved to Monaco to study ballet in 1982, at the age of 15, and won the Prix de Lausanne in 1985. She was the first Asian ballerina to win the prestigious competition.

Asked in a post-performance interview why she was retiring now, Kang said, "I wanted to retire while I could still fully present my abilities on stage. I didn't expect so many fans to hold up placards for me. I was moved. I'm just happy that my last performance went well".

Kang bid farewell to her Korean audience with a performance of the same ballet in Seoul in November last year.

She currently serves as a director of the Korea National Ballet.