Born into a family of an ordinary railway worker in Jongju City, North Phyongan Province on August 19, 1939, Hong Jong Hwa is a prestigious actress who left an indelible trace for the national development of dance.

After graduating from the then National Dance School at the age of 17, Hong started her career at the National Dance Theatre.

In the 1950s, when Hong began her career as a dancer, the national dance was mainly featured by the slow movement keeping with the tune for an exorcism and Jungmori rhythm (Korean national rhythm) in the country.

“The latter half of the 1950s was a stirring period when the great Chollima upswing was brought about in our country. I wanted to represent such vigorous times in the dance movement,” recalled Hong later.

Hong brought out rapid movement patterns with Anttan rhythm as the main rhythm on the dance by directing efforts to creating dance works reflecting the stirring reality of the Chollima era.

She flaunted her talents in national celebration and art performances.

Typical examples included “Drum Dance”, “Trio Dance” and “A Cowboy and Girl”. When she turned round with a charming smile on the stage, shrugging her shoulders and arms and moving her feet fast, the whole audience was excited to see her performance.

She won six gold medals at the World Festival of Youth and Students several times and gave performances on hundreds of occasions in more than 50 countries.

A dancer with fast movement, a dancer who sustains the rhythm of the expressive and cheerful Korean dance, a dancer who dances so wide that the audience might feel that the wide stage is narrow, and a word-class whip-like elastic dancer–this was the comment of the audiences of many countries who saw her dancing.

She produced over 100 dance pieces of various kinds including folk dance, solo dance and group dance.

A dance presentation and solo session of Hong, Kim Il Sung Prize winner and People’s Actor, took place in Pyongyang, the capital city of the DPRK, on the occasion of her 50th, 60th and 70th birthdays.

Recollecting the days of winning the first gold medal in the Seventh World Festival of Youth and Students after representing solo dance “Cheers”, she said:

“ Cheers , it was not simply the title of the dance work. It’s the theme and title of my whole life. My life is full of moments of unforgettable joy. Our dance is so delightful and our life is beautiful, thanks to our motherland which finds out and puts forward the bud of my talents and adds lustre to it.”

She now works as the secretary general of the Central Committee of the Dancers Union of Korea.

So Kyong Hyok