After a season at the Mariinsky, Jeon Min-chul brings new artistry home

Fresh off his debut season with Russia’s prestigious Mariinsky Ballet, Jeon Min-chul returns to Korea this summer as Prince Siegfried. The ballet sensation arrives eager — and quietly determined — to show Korean audiences how he has evolved.

“I’m genuinely excited about these performances,” Jeon said at a press conference Thursday at the Seoul Arts Center.

“I think these performances will allow me to show what I brought back from my first season at the Mariinsky. I experienced, learned and absorbed so much there. I hope audiences in Korea will be able to see all the work I’ve put in.”

Jeon, who last year became the second Korean dancer after Kim Ki-min to join the Mariinsky Ballet, had already become a fan favorite in Korea before his move to Russia. His return to the Korean stage has only heightened that excitement, with his gala performances among the most sought-after tickets and selling out within minutes.

The 22-year-old will lead Universal Ballet’s “Swan Lake,” running Aug. 14-23 at the Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater, performing with Universal Ballet principal Hong Hyang-gee on Aug. 16 and 19.

The biggest lesson he brought back from Russia had little to do with technique: “The first and most important thing I learned … was acting. There, emotion always comes before movement.”

He recalled how the Mariinsky’s emphasis on acting made him realize that even the smallest details can reveal a character’s personality.

“Even if two characters perform the same mime, Siegfried and Romeo shouldn’t move the same way,” he said. “The speed of a hand gesture, its strength, the way you simply point to someone and say ‘you’ — all of that tells the audience who the character is, and tells a story. That completely changed the way I think about performing.”

During his first season, Jeon performed leading roles in “Giselle,” “The Pharaoh’s Daughter,” “La Bayadere,” “Swan Lake,” “The Sleeping Beauty” and “Romeo and Juliet.”

“I was fortunate to be given so many opportunities to perform leading roles (at the Mariinsky), but I believe it all began with the first step I took with Universal Ballet. That first step was the most important one,” he said.

Before leaving for St. Petersburg, Jeon performed his first full-length leading roles with Universal Ballet, starring in “La Bayadere” in 2024 and “Giselle” in 2025.

“My experiences with Universal Ballet meant so much. If I had gone to the Mariinsky without them, everything would have been much more difficult. It would have taken me much longer to adjust, so I’m deeply grateful.”

For Julia H. Moon, general director of Universal Ballet, Jeon’s return is equally meaningful. Moon said she had watched Jeon grow since his childhood at a ballet academy and vividly remembers recognizing his potential during his first year of high school, recalling, “I simply couldn’t take my eyes off him.”

“A dancer’s first leading role is incredibly special. Every performance comes with pressure, but the pressure of that first debut is beyond words,” said Moon.

“I hoped that giving him those first leading opportunities in Korea would help him, and now, seeing him grow into a world-class artist fills me with immense pride. We’re grateful and delighted to welcome him back.”

Life in St. Petersburg, Jeon said, transformed him both as an artist and as a person.

“In Korea, my life revolved entirely around the rehearsal studio. In St. Petersburg, I had much more space in my daily life.”

That slower rhythm allowed him to attend performances and find inspiration beyond ballet.

“The city gave me so much. Just walking home after rehearsal felt beautiful. Those quiet moments, when I was simply lost in thought, became part of my dancing.”

Speaking about “Swan Lake,” Jeon added that it has long been his favorite ballet.

“It’s probably the ballet I’ve watched more than any other. Every time I see it, I can almost hear the voices of the swans and the prince.”

While countless versions of “Swan Lake” are staged around the world, Jeon believes the Mariinsky’s production remains closest to the classical tradition established by Marius Petipa’s 1895 revival.

His favorite moment comes not from one of Siegfried’s solos, but from the prince’s first encounter with Odette.

“The prince doesn’t dance very much in that scene,” he said. “But watching the swans appear, seeing Odette avoid him at first, and then watching the prince slowly fall in love with her — I think it’s one of the most beautiful moments in all of ballet. I hope audiences will pay close attention to that first meeting, and to the beauty of the swans.”