Cheeky Chastushki. Rodin. 598 Beats

Within the span of a single evening, the Leonid Yacobson Ballet Theatre will play 598 Beats, a brand-new ballet by Vyacheslav Samodurov; Samodurov’s other one-act production, Cheeky Chastushki, which won the Golden Soffit for Best Ballet last season; and Leonid Yacobson’s Rodin cycle of dance miniatures, considered one of the most refined and original choreographic masterpieces of the 20th century.

Vyacheslav Samodurov enjoys a well-deserved reputation as a leading contemporary choreographer. His latest work, 598 Beats, is inspired by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. The choreographer seeks out modern messages and meanings within the baroque concerto, and uses the score to highlight the intersections between the corporeal and the spiritual.

Samodurov’s other ballet, Cheeky Chastushki, set to Rodion Shchedrin’s music, is full of lust for life, humour, and spunky energy. It is performed by a large group, where every virtuoso tries to out-dance the others.

One of the key themes of Vyacheslav Samodurov’s new creation, the exploration of the human body, is a clear callback to Leonid Yacobson’s Rodin. Which is why the première will be accompanied by all seven restored miniatures from the famous cycle, exactly as Yacobson himself once envisioned them.