Jeon Min-chul to make Mariinsky Ballet debut as Solor in 'La Bayadere'

Jeon Min-chul performs as Solor in the Universal Ballet's "La Bayadere" in September 2024. (Universal Ballet)

Ballet sensation Jeon Min-chul will make his official debut with the Mariinsky Ballet on July 17, performing the role of Solor in "La Bayadere" at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Jeon joins the company as an official guest artist and is expected to be formally named as a soloist following the performance, pending visa completion, according to the K-Global Ballet Institute.

He will share the stage with Mariinsky Ballet's principal dancer Nadezhda Batoeva as Nikiya and second soloist Daria Kulikova as Gamzatti.

“I am deeply honored to finally perform on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, a dream I've had since childhood,” Jeon said in a press release Wednesday. “I will give my best to embody the beauty of this masterpiece and the theatre’s rich tradition.”

Ahead of his performance as Solor, Jeon will also appear in the pas de trois during Act 1 of "Swan Lake" on July 4.

Ballet dancer Jeon Min-chul (left) poses with Mariinsky Ballet's artistic director Andrian Fadeyev at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (K-Global Ballet Institute)

Last year, Jeon made headlines as the second Korean dancer to join the Mariinsky Ballet after Kim Ki-min. His growing popularity led to a series of sold-out performances in Korea, as fans flocked to see the 20-year-old dancer before he headed abroad.

In September, he performed Solor as a guest artist with the Universal Ballet.

“I want to bring to life the kind of Solor that only a 20-year-old can portray,” Jeon told The Korea Herald at the time. “Even if I haven’t lived through those emotions, I believe I can express them on stage.”