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Ballerino Jeon Min-chul joins famed Mariinsky Ballet as first soloist

Published: 19 Oct. 2025, 14:29 Updated: 19 Oct. 2025, 17:11

Ballerino Jeon Min-chul [JOONGANG ILBO]

Ballerino Jeon Min-chul has officially joined Russia’s Mariinsky Ballet — widely regarded as the birthplace of ballet — as a first soloist after completing his work visa process.

The Mariinsky Ballet announced Jeon's appointment as a first soloist — the second-highest rank in the company — on its official website on Saturday. He becomes the second Korean male dancer to join the company, following Kim Ki-min, who made history in 2011 as the first Asian male dancer to enter the company and was promoted to principal dancer in 2015.

The Mariinsky Ballet’s hierarchy consists of five ranks: corps de ballet, coryphée, second soloist, first soloist and principal dancer. A first soloist is just below the principal dancer and is capable of performing leading roles in technically demanding repertoires.

Jeon graduated from Sunhwa Arts Middle and High School and was studying at the Korea National University of Arts when he passed the Mariinsky Ballet audition in July of last year. He was promised a soloist position at the time and left for Russia in June after winning the grand prize at the Youth America Grand Prix in April.

A profile of ballerino Jeon Min-chul uploaded on the website of Russia’s Mariinsky Ballet [SCREEN CAPTURE]

He made his debut with the company in July in the role of Solor in "La Bayadère," but performed as a guest artist while waiting for his work visa to be finalized.

Jeon’s first performance as an officially registered member of the Mariinsky Ballet will be on Saturday in "Giselle," where he will reprise the role of Albrecht — a role he previously performed in April with the Universal Ballet.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI MIN-JI [[email protected]]