Ballet dancer Jeon Min-chul, who has completed his first season as a first soloist with Russia’s Mariinsky Ballet, will return to his home country for his first full-length leading role since joining the prestigious company.

Jeon will perform the role of Prince Siegfried as a guest artist in the Universal Ballet’s production of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake,” jointly presented by the Seoul Arts Center and Universal Ballet. The production will run from Aug. 14-23 at the Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater and will feature 11 performances.

Jeon and Julia Moon, general director of Universal Ballet, attended a press conference for the production at the Seoul Arts Center’s In-Chun Art Hall in southern Seoul on Friday.

“I want to show the results of my first season at the Mariinsky,” Jeon said, expressing his determination ahead of his return to the Korean stage.

“Swan Lake,” combining Tchaikovsky’s music with choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, is one of the defining works of classical ballet. The ballet was premiered by the Mariinsky Ballet in 1895. This production is based on the traditional Mariinsky version, with some choreography newly arranged by Oleg Vinogradov.

Moon compared the two major Russian ballet companies, saying, “If the Bolshoi paints a grand picture with a thick brush, the Mariinsky feels like it uses a fine brush to express details and elegance.”

Jeon said the production stands apart from the many creative adaptations and reinterpretations of “Swan Lake” seen today.

“Although ‘Swan Lake’ has been performed through countless creations and reinterpretations, this production is incomparable in the way it expresses everything through the movements of classical ballet,” he said.

Jeon also reflected on his first season at the Mariinsky. He identified acting as one of the defining characteristics of the company’s style.

“Even when they were standing still, they continued to express emotions through their bodies,” he said. “I learned that even with the same movement, you can portray completely different characters through variations in the speed and power of the movement.”

His life in Russia has also changed more than just his dancing.

“In Korea, I used to practice from morning until night, but in Russia, I have more time to attend performances and experience everyday life,” Jeon said. “Even the walk home after finishing my schedule is beautiful, and those moments give me a lot of inspiration for dancing.”

Moon has watched Jeon develop since his days at the Universal Ballet Academy and Sunhwa Arts Middle and High School.

“When Universal Ballet was founded in 1984, Korea was still a barren land for ballet,” Moon said. “Today, seeing so many Korean dancers performing leading roles at the world’s top ballet companies makes me realize how much Korean ballet has grown.”

Moon became emotional and shed tears when asked about her feelings toward her former student, whom she has watched grow from a young dancer into an international professional.

Alongside Jeon, Universal Ballet’s principal dancers Hong Hyang-gi, Lee Hyun-joon, Lee Dong-tak and Elizaveta Cheprasova will take the stage.

The production will also feature members of the company’s next generation, including Lee Yu-rim, Lim Sun-woo, Seo Hye-won, Jeon Yeo-jin, Lee Seung-min and Yoo Joo-hyung.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.