Ballet without Borders by Vyacheslav Samodurov: the Formation of the Dancer’s Style on the European Stage

Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Samodurov is the embodiment of Russian modern ballet. The period when he worked with the companies of the Dutch National Ballet and the Royal British Ballet was a key one not only for Samodurov as a dancer, but also had a significant influence on his future activities as a director and choreographer. Samodurov’s productions have original and recognizable stylistic features and are of interest to audiences and critics, and are studied by theater and art historians. Samodurov’s productions have original and recognizable stylistic features and are of interest to audiences and critics, and are studied by theater and art historians. At the same time, the path of Samodurov-dancer has not received a comprehensive comprehension from the perspective of the evolution of his style and image. This fact determines the relevance of the topic of the article. The purpose of the research is to identify the role and influence of the foreign period of the master on the formation of his individual style as a choreographer. The novelty of the article lies in the fact that for the first time a study of a scientific nature raises the question of combining the art of Samodurov’s national ballet school and the experience he gained in the European ballet. On the basis of analysis of the available facts of Samodurov’s biography, memoirs of his colleagues from the European companies, and information obtained in conversations with the choreographer, generalizations were made which testify to preservation of V.V. Samodurov’s creative experience. A generalization has been made to show that the artistic experience of Samodurov, gained during his period of collaboration with foreign companies, has been preserved in his contemporary work as Artistic Director and Director of the Ekaterinburg State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (also known as the “Ural Opera Ballet”).

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