At the end of the 24/25 season at the Mariinsky Theatre, the public had the chance to see the debut appearances on stage of the new soloist of the ballet troupe, Minchul Jeon, a graduate of the Korea National University of Arts (Seoul), multiple prize-winner at the Youth America Grand Prix international competition. The first performances of the young talented Korean dancer in the pas de trois of Swan Lake and in the role of Solor in La Bayadère attracted the increased attention of both St. Petersburg spectators and Jeon’s fans from Korea.
A tall, stately dancer, with graceful movements, stunningly soft hands for a male dancer and a light jump, he attracts attention as soon as he steps on stage.
Swan Lake (July 4, 2025). Natasha Razina © Mariinsky Theatre
At Swan Lake on July 4, Minchul performed the “Prince’s Friends” pas de trois with Vlada Borodulina and Daria Kulikova. With both girls, he felt confident as a partner, easily adjusting to the tempo of Vlada with her refined technique and ease of performance and the young, bright Daria. Together, the “Prince’s Friends” made up a fresh, cheerful and very well-coordinated trio. Jeon performed the variation without “trembling in the knees”, making an excellent impression of a dancer with a reserve of technical capabilities, impressive plasticity and grace in each step.
La Bayadère (July, 17, 2025). Mikhail Vilchuk © Mariinsky Theatre
The part of Solor in La Bayadère at the Mariinsky is not just a role, but a certain “quality mark”. This role is the quintessence of male dance, a fusion of technical complexity and artistry. The image of a warrior torn between duty and love requires the performer to have a deep understanding of the character’s psychology and the plastic means by which this can be expressed on stage. Thus, the debut in the part of Solor is both a privilege and a challenge for the dancer.
Solor, performed by Minchul Jeon on July 17, is expressive and completely understandable in his torment over the need to marry Gamzatti. In his gestures, the spectator could see an unambiguous reluctance to give up Nikiya, his shame and pain. In his performance, Jeon showed strong acting skills and an individual interpretation of the dramatic side of Solor’s image. It was as if he tried to justify the character, or at least show that not only Nikiya, but also Solor, who was guilty of the girl’s tragedy, experienced mental anguish.
La Bayadère (July, 17, 2025). Mikhail Vilchuk © Mariinsky Theatre
As for the technical side, the debut was impressive. Amazing arms and hands, graceful body proportions, soft jumps, silent landings, correct axis. His passionate duet with Nikiya (Nadezhda Batoeva) in the first act demonstrated Minchul as a reliable partner, confident in synchronized movements and calmly coping with lifts, sometimes even too energetically, but in the passionate duet of Nikiya and Solor it looked organic. In the second act, in the Grand Pas d’ Action Minchul was very good in a duet with another debutante of the evening – Daria Kulikova as Gamzatti, who demonstrated a good jump and confident performance for a debut, especially in the dramatic part. As for the solo variation of Jeon, his confident rotations, the flying jumps and powerful amplitude reminded me of the young Laurent Hilaire, as well as his cabrioles. He was also very bright at the end of the scene of Nikiya’s Death (very emotionally performed by Batoeva), when he rushed towards her (and firstly was stopped, and then, when there was no longer any need to stop him).
The solo monologue before the “act of shadows” looked poetic and neat, Jeon did not break character both in the careful “duet of repentance” and in the solo variation, where he also hovered above the stage.
La Bayadère (July, 17, 2025). Mikhail Vilchuk © Mariinsky Theatre
In general, Minchul Jeon is a debutant of a very high level, already in his second appearance on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre he coped well with a big role of the classical repertoire. He has good physical characteristics, flexibility and plasticity, suitable for both classical and neo-classical, and for the contemporary repertoire. Also, he shows himself to be a careful partner and a thoughtful dancer, capable of analysing the role. We, in turn, will follow his development and new roles with great interest.
Text: Julia Sumzina
Photos: Natasha Razina © Mariinsky Theatre, Mikhail Vilchuk © Mariinsky Theatre
LA NOTTE MAGAZINE 
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