Mariinsky's Khoreva calls partner Jeon Min-cheol 'an amazing dancer'

"Min-cheol is an amazing dancer. In the first meeting scene of 'Giselle,' I could feel from his eyes that he was truly alive as Albrecht."

Maria Khoreva, 26, a first soloist at the Mariinsky Ballet and one of the world's most celebrated young dancers, had those words for Korea's own ballet star Jeon Min-cheol. Jeon joined the Mariinsky as a first soloist in October last year.

Khoreva is in Seoul for "K-Ballet World Stars," the headline event of the 2026 Seoul International Ballet Festival, running Tuesday through Wednesday at the Arko Arts Theater Main Hall. Speaking to reporters ahead of the performances, she smiled as she said she and Jeon have been partnering across a wide range of works.

Khoreva graduated top of her class from the Vaganova Academy in Russia and joined the Mariinsky in 2018 at the age of 18, immediately drawing attention. The ballet world took notice because she bypassed every intermediate rank and entered the company directly as a first soloist — an almost unheard-of distinction. During an earlier visit to Korea she made a strong impression on local audiences dancing "Don Quixote" alongside Kim Ki-min, the first Asian principal dancer at the Mariinsky. Since Jeon's arrival she has served as his partner in a significant number of productions.

"We have prepared so many works together — 'Romeo and Juliet,' 'The Nutcracker,' 'Giselle,' 'La Fille du Pharaon' and more. Particularly with 'La Fille du Pharaon,' I had already performed the role, but it was Min-cheol's debut, so I watched videos of his solos and offered him advice."

In Khoreva's eyes, Jeon is the complete package — technique, performance and partnering all in harmony. "Min-cheol is a dancer of exceptional ability," she said. "He not only has the technique but also the capacity to tell his own story on stage and to build a genuine bond with his partner."

Visiting Korea for the first time in eight years, Khoreva mentioned the masterclass for students she held on Monday and said she was "deeply impressed by how quickly they absorbed and applied corrections." She added that it seemed to her "a wonderful dancer like Min-cheol could only have come from an environment like this."

Khoreva was named one of The New York Times' eight ballet stars of the world in 2020. "Dancing within the Mariinsky's tradition — the very place where classical ballet was created — is truly something special," she said.

"All of these classical roles — 'Swan Lake,' 'Giselle,' 'Paquita' — were created by Marius Petipa right here at the Mariinsky Theatre. The tradition is fully absorbed, and the chain connecting these great masters, from Vaganova to Petipa, still lives on through the Mariinsky's coaches and its repertoire. Being able to work with these people is something truly extraordinary."

Now in her eighth year as a soloist, Khoreva said what matters most is "which roles you dance on stage, and what lives you get to live through those characters." "Telling stories that people can carry in their hearts is far more important than any title, financial reward or fame," she said.

She went on to say that while earning a promotion to principal or becoming a soloist is a wonderful thing, "art is ultimately art, whatever it may be." "I feel like one of the luckiest people alive to be able to interpret such a diverse and remarkable range of characters — Paquita, Giselle, Juliet, Odette, Odile — through my dancing," she said.

Russia remains at war, and performances by Russian artists have been canceled across Europe and the United States — the Mariinsky and Bolshoi ballet companies included. Khoreva drew a clear distinction on the matter, however. "Politics and art are separate issues," she said. "The essence of ballet is to bring people's souls together and to speak of beautiful, timeless values."

A self-described BTS fan and Army who also loves K-dramas, Khoreva is active on social media and has drawn attention for videos of herself performing ballet moves to BTS songs. Kim Dong-gon, chairman of the Korea Ballet Association, said she also speaks Korean remarkably well.

Khoreva said she feels a sense of mission to show younger generations, in a rapidly changing world, that ballet is not boring — that it is "a beautiful art form capable of conveying far more genuine emotion than any film or K-drama."

The festival features four main programs. The "K-Ballet World Stars" gala brings together Khoreva and other top-tier dancers for a series of performances. Alongside it, "K-Ballet Repertoire" showcases original works by domestic independent choreography companies, while a competition for emerging choreographers and a youth ballet festival round out the lineup.

The "K-Ballet World Stars" gala will feature Khoreva and Bolshoi Ballet soloist Makar Mikhalkin performing the contemporary duet "Closer" and the grand pas de deux from "Don Quixote," while Japan's New National Theatre Ballet first soloist Lee Myung-hyun and Naotsuka Miho will take the stage in "Coppélia" and "Grand Pas Classique."

Representing Korea's leading companies, Korean National Ballet principal dancers Park Seul-gi and Park Jong-seok, Universal Ballet principal dancers Lee Hyun-jun and Lee Yu-rim, and soloists Jeon Yeo-jin and Lee Seung-min will perform works including the original ballets "Shim Cheong," "Mirinaegil," "Giselle" and "Swan Lake." Also drawing anticipation are next-generation talents including Seo Min-jun, a 2026 Youth America Grand Prix grand prize winner currently enrolled at the Royal Ballet School in London, and Cho Su-min, winner of the Seoul Ballet Competition grand prize.

Korea Ballet Association chairman Kim said the association's goal is not to chase fleeting trends but to build a solid foundation for continuously discovering talent and creating new repertoire. "Korean ballet has made remarkable strides and produced numerous world-class stars," he said. "We aim to keep that foundation strong."