Ballerina Yoon Hye-jin Returns to Stage After 10 Years; Jeon Min-chul Back in Korea

[Anchor]

Ballerina Yoon Hye-jin is putting on her pointe shoes to return to the stage after about 10 years. Meanwhile, ballerino Jeon Min-chul, who is active with the Mariinsky Ballet, is returning for a performance in his home country.

Culture and arts correspondent Kim Soo-hyun has the details.

[Reporter]

[Choi Tae-ji's Ballet Open Rehearsal I: Relevé: Back on Stage / August 8 / Gangdong Arts Center, Small Theater Dream]

Yoon Hye-jin, a former principal dancer with the Korea National Ballet, is returning to the stage after roughly a decade.

Choi Tae-ji's ballet open rehearsal is a stage where dancers share honest stories along with their performances.

[Choi Tae-ji / Former Artistic Director, Korea National Ballet: When she told me, "Director, I'm practicing at home every day," and I told her, "Don't just stay at home, get back on stage now," she said, "Director, I'll do it."]

Yoon will perform in a piece titled "Da ลอง라 루나, Where is the Moon?" choreographed by Jean-Christophe Maillot, artistic director of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, partnering with Ahn Jae-yong, a principal dancer at the same ballet company.

[Yoon Hye-jin / Ballerina: There have been various offers for performances over the years, but I don't think any performance could exceed this one. Performing Maillot's work on stage again, and this time together with Ahn Jae-yong.]

This stage was brought to life by the special ties surrounding Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and Maillot's works.

During artistic director Choi Tae-ji's tenure, the Korea National Ballet staged several works choreographed by Maillot. Yoon joined Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo through that connection, but later left the stage due to injury, marriage, and childbirth.

Ahn Jae-yong started ballet after seeing Maillot's choreographed "Romeo and Juliet" performed by the Korea National Ballet when he was 18, and has now become a principal dancer trusted by Maillot.

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[2026 Universal Ballet & Seoul Arts Center "Swan Lake" / August 14–23 / Seoul Arts Center, Opera Theater]

Ballerino Jeon Min-chul, who is active as a first soloist at Russia's prestigious Mariinsky Ballet, is returning to the stage in his home country just one year after joining the troupe.

The Universal Ballet's production of "Swan Lake," in which he stars, has sold out early.

[Jeon Min-chul / First Soloist, Mariinsky Ballet: Even during the rehearsal process (at Mariinsky), rather than just talking about the movements first, emotions are truly important. I've felt that so much, and I think I can show the results of my first season at Mariinsky through this Swan Lake performance.]

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[Highlights of Der Ring des Nibelungen / August 8, Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall; August 14, Bucheon Arts Center]

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the premiere of the full cycle of Wagner's masterpiece opera "Der Ring des Nibelungen," a concert will be held compressing the four-part tetralogy into a single day.

The Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Adrien Perruchon, will deliver Wagner's grand orchestral sound, featuring world-class Wagnerian singers Samuel Yoon in the roles of Alberich and Hagen, alongside Choi In-shik, Kim Jae-hyung, and Lee Myung-joo.

(Video Editing: Lee Seung-jin, VJ: Oh Se-kwan, Footage Courtesy of: Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, Universal Ballet, Art & Artist)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.