Mariinsky Star Kim Ki-min to Dance Béjart's Boléro in Seoul, Emphasizes Choreographer Over Himself
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
Kim Ki-min, principal dancer of the Mariinsky Ballet, will perform the lead in Maurice Béjart’s Boléro in Seoul with Béjart Ballet Lausanne (BBL). In a video interview he said the finale should be seen as joyful acceptance rather than fear of death and asked audiences to focus on Béjart’s choreography (a modern ballet style) rather than on him. This marks the first time a Korean has been cast in BBL’s Boléro and BBL returns to Korea for the first time in 25 years. Kim recalled discovering Béjart at Korea National University of Arts and described a long journey to this role, including early rejections. He praised the collaboration between Mariinsky’s classical technique and Béjart’s modern approach, noting BBL’s unique, orally transmitted “style” that required intense rehearsal. Kim warned about issues in Korean ballet training—overemphasis on audition-ready tricks and uniformity from concours culture—while affirming Korea’s high technical standards. BBL’s performances run April 23–26 at GS Art Center in Yeoksam, with Kim performing Boléro on April 23 and 25.
