Béjart Ballet Lausanne to perform in Seoul with Mariinsky star Kim Ki-min

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Béjart Ballet Lausanne to perform in Seoul with Mariinsky star Kim Ki-min

Published: 09 Apr. 2026, 07:00

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Mariinsky Ballet principal dancer Kim Ki-min poses for an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at the Korea National University of Arts’ Seocho campus in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 16, 2022. [KIM SANG-SEON]

Switzerland’s world-renowned ballet company Béjart Ballet Lausanne is on its way to Korea with performances starring Kim Ki-min, a principal dancer at the Mariinsky Ballet, one of the world’s leading ballet companies.

The company will perform at the GS Arts Center in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, from April 23 to 26. It marks the ballet company's first performance in Korea since 2011 and its first in Seoul since 2001. The official title of the performance is “Béjart Ballet Lausanne with Kim Ki-min.”

Kim is an award-winning dancer who won the Best Male Dancer award at the Benois de la Danse in 2016, one of the most prestigious honors in ballet.

Kim will appear twice in “Boléro,” one of Béjart’s most famous works, on April 23 and 25. Tickets for both of his performances sold out within five minutes of going on sale.

Kim, who joined the Mariinsky Ballet in 2011 and became its first Asian principal dancer in 2015, is currently based in Russia.

“The performance Mariinsky fans most wanted to see was ‘Boléro,’” Kim stated during a video interview on Thursday. “Since I will be performing ‘Boléro’ for the first time in Korea, Mariinsky fans might be disappointed."

“I hope this performance shines more light on Béjart than on me,” Kim stated.

Maurice Béjart (1927-2007), whom Kim referenced, was a pioneering choreographer who helped redefine modern ballet by incorporating original choreography into classical forms. The ballet company, which is visiting Korea for this performance, was founded by Béjart in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1987.

“I believe Béjart left the greatest legacy for today's dancers,” Kim said. “It is also unfortunate that it took the ballet company 15 years to return to the Korean stage. If the company had visited more often, the Korean ballet scene might have evolved differently.”

Korean ballet dancer Kim Ki-min performs at a production of ″Don Quixote.″ [KIM KI-MIN]

“Boléro,” which premiered in 1961, is known for combining the role of “Melody,” the central solo performed atop a red circular table, with rhythmic group choreography by male dancers surrounding it. Kim is the first Korean dancer to perform the role, which has previously been portrayed by world-renowned performers.

Julien Favreau, artistic director of Béjart Ballet Lausanne, said he recognizes that the role of Melody is both physically and mentally demanding, requiring exceptional stamina, constant precision, and the ability to sustain the energy of the entire stage throughout the performance. He has described seeing Kim transforming himself into the role to perfection.

“This is a role I truly wanted, and I am grateful for the opportunity,” Kim said. “But the title of being the first Korean lead in ‘Boléro’ is not that important to me.

“I try to give more than 200 percent in both practice and performance,” Kim continued. “I fall asleep and wake up listening to the music of ‘Boléro,’ and I am working to convey to the audience the emotions I feel during practice.”

Kim also commented on the recent rise of young Korean dancers on the global stage.

“They have very solid fundamentals,” Kim said. “However, some dancers focus more on appearing to be good dancers instead of actually honing their skills due to the Korean dance scene being hyper-focused on school entry auditions.

“This system may help the dancers achieve short-term goals such as winning awards, but it may be difficult to sustain high-quality performances over a long period,” Kim added.

BBL (Bejart Ballet Lausanne) performs “Bolero.” [BEJART BALLET LAUSANNE]

The ballet company will also present Béjart’s “The Firebird,” along with “Bye Bye Baby Blackbird” by Dutch choreographer Joost Vrouenraets and “Hamlet” by Slovenian choreographer Valentina Turcu.

Korean ballerina Lee Min-kyung, a member of the ballet company, will perform the role of Ophelia in “Hamlet.” A graduate of Yewon School, a prestigious music school in Korea, and one year senior to Kim, Lee has been with the ballet company since 2020.

“Kim, whom I met in February, was just as playful and pure as he was 20 years ago,” Lee said. “At the same time, I could see how he has reached where he is today.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HA NAM-HYUN [[email protected]]