Ballerino Jeon Minchul, School of Dance, Made Dazzling Debut at Mariinsky Ballet

Ballet dancer Jeon Minchul, an alumnus of the Department of Dance Performance in the School of Dance, made a stunning debut in the lead role of La Bayadère at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on July 17 (local time)—just one month after joining the Mariinsky Ballet.

Jeon, who performed as Solor, the male lead, had previously made his full-length debut as Solor with the Universal Ballet a year earlier in the same repertoire.

Jeon Minchul’s flawless movements as Solor captivated the discerning Mariinsky audience, drawing prolonged, thunderous applause and enthusiastic exclamations that continued well after the curtain fell. The standing ovation at the curtain call was given six times that day.

Professor Kim Sunhee, emeritus professor at K-Arts and an attendee at the performance, commented, “I could truly feel the audience’s excitement and cheers. Stage staff, including current Artistic Director Andrian Fadeyev and former Director Yuri Fateyev, showered Minchul with praise backstage for quite some time after the show. I, too, was personally thanked and commended by many for having taught him so well.”

Despite still being in the process of securing his long-term visa for Russia, Mariinsky entrusted Jeon with the main role of La Bayadère, appointing him as an official guest artist. He will be formally registered as a soloist at the opera house as soon as his visa is issued. It is both unprecedented and remarkable for the storied Mariinsky to assign a soloist position to a new member from Korea before he has served in the corps de ballet.

Jeon Minchul was accepted into the Mariinsky Ballet through an audition last year after he completed his studies at Sunhwa Arts Middle School, Sunhwa Arts High School, and K-Arts. He is the second Korean male dancer to join the Mariinsky Ballet, following Kim Kimin.