Elementary school student who cried, “I want to dance”, joins the world’s ‘Big 5 Ballet Company’ as a soloist

by times news cr

2024-07-09 05:30:15

Ballet dancer Jeon Min-cheol (20) is joining the Russian Mariinsky Ballet. He is the second Korean to do so, following Kim Ki-min (32), who is currently a principal dancer.

Jeon Min-cheol, who is currently enrolled in the Korea National University of Arts Dance Company, passed the audition on the 5th (local time) and will be a soloist in February next year. It is unusual for a soloist to join the company, as it is customary to join as a corps dancer.

This ballet company with 241 years of history, affiliated with the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, is considered one of the world’s ‘Big 5 ballet companies’ along with the Royal Ballet in England, the Paris Opera Ballet in France, the Bolshoi Ballet in Russia, and the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) in the United States.

Upon hearing the news of Jeon Min-cheol joining a world-class ballet company, netizens shared a video clip from 7 years ago, saying, “Isn’t that the elementary school student who appeared on ‘Discovering Genius’?”

Jeon Min-cheol appeared on the 101st episode of SBS’s ‘Discovering Genius’, which aired in March 2017. At the time, Jeon Min-cheol was an elementary school student and cried as he said he could not give up his dream of becoming a dancer despite his father’s opposition.

SBS 'Genius Search Team' Galmuri

SBS ‘Genius Search Team’ Galmuri

Jeon Min-cheol’s father said, “I tried to make him do soccer and taekwondo to make him exercise, but he came home crying the next day.” He added, “I thought it would be a bit of exercise if I made him do dance, so I made him do it.”

His father wanted Jeon Min-cheol to pursue dancing as a hobby, but he dreamed of becoming a dancer. When his father asked him on the air at the time, “Will you continue dancing when you enter middle school?” Jeon Min-cheol answered “Yes” without hesitation. When his father said, “Since you study hard and are good at it, shouldn’t you just pursue dancing as a hobby?” Jeon Min-cheol cried and said firmly, “I’m just happy to dance.”

When his father tried to persuade him, saying, “In our country, there aren’t many cases of men succeeding as dancers,” Jeon Min-cheol shed tears, saying, “That’s someone else. If I were just a dancer, not many people would recognize me, so I auditioned for (the musical) ‘Billy Elliot.’ Can’t you see me happy, Dad?”

The panelists who were watching the broadcast at the time said, “The father’s worries are realistic,” but also praised Jeon Min-cheol’s talent, saying, “You can’t get to this level just by being told to do so. You’re too good.”

Jeon Min-cheol Instagram

Jeon Min-cheol Instagram

Jeon Min-cheol, who was like that, grew up to be a proper ballet dancer. Jeon Min-cheol graduated from Seonhwa Arts Middle School and Seonhwa Arts High School and entered the Korea National University of Arts (Korea National University of Arts) Dance Department in 2022. He won the Senior Pas de Deux category at the Youth America Grand Prix Competition in 2023 and was exempted from military service. Recently, he appeared on several stages such as ‘Ballet Layer’ and ‘Life of Ballet Dancer’ at the 2024 Korea Ballet Festival and was recognized for his outstanding skills.

Jeon Min-cheol will be performing at the ‘Ballet Stars Gala’ at Seongnam Arts Center on the 13th, and is scheduled to perform at the M Ballet Series at Mapo Arts Center on August 28th.

Reporter Jo Yu-kyung, Donga.com, [email protected]

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2024-07-09 05:30:15

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