Who was Leonid Yakobson?

Leonid Yakobson reading a newspaper

Leonid Yakobson

Image courtesy of Janice Ross

Discover the courageous choreographer whose revolutionary works just barely survived Soviet-era censorship.

Lasha Khozashvili and Erica Cornejo perform "The Minotaur and the Nymph" from Rodin (2015)

Photo credit: Igor Burlak Photography

Misa Kuranaga, ji Young Chae, Maria Baranova, and Erica Cornejo perform Pas de Quatre (2015)

Photo credit: Igor Burlak Photography

Lasha Khozashvili and Erica Cornejo perform "The Minotaur and the Nymph" from Rodin (2015)

Photo credit: Igor Burlak Photography

Misa Kuranaga, ji Young Chae, Maria Baranova, and Erica Cornejo perform Pas de Quatre (2015)

Photo credit: Igor Burlak Photography

“The most influential choreographer most people have never heard of”
 
Choreographer Leonid Yakobson (1904–1975) spent his life working and creating in the Soviet Union. He and George Balanchine were contemporaries—both were born in St. Petersburg in 1904 and spent time with Kirov Ballet Theatre (now Mariinsky Ballet) during their formative years. However, their paths diverged in 1924, when Balanchine defected to France to join Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes as a choreographer before making his way to America. Yakobson remained in the Soviet Union and continued to struggle against anti-Semitism, censorship, and backlash in reaction to his revolutionary vision.
 
Yakobson’s career was shaped by the cultural and political realities of working under Soviet-era conditions. The Boston Globe calls him “the most influential 20th century choreographer most people have never heard of.” Few of his works survived repression and censorship, and even fewer are still performed today. Balanchine’s subsequent trajectory toward international fame and his legacy as “the father of American ballet” stand in stark contrast.
 
Creating art against the odds
 
Yakobson choreographed for the Bolshoi Ballet until his death in 1975. Known for an explosive and experimental style, he introduced Soviet audiences to a groundbreaking aesthetic they had never witnessed before. Dance historian Janice Ross, author of Like a Bomb Going Off: Leonid Yakobson and Ballet as Resistance in Soviet Russia, explains that he used his works as a kind of “stealth weapon” to challenge a repressive totalitarian regime.
 
“His ballets can appear complacent and docile on the surface while just below they display an aggressive aesthetic that challenges the status quo,” she writes.
 
Yakobson, who embraced his Jewish identity, faced vicious state-sanctioned anti-Semitism. His works were often censored or banned by Soviet authorities for challenging the hallmarks of classical ballet. But these hardships further fueled his creative capacity, leading him to choreograph 30 ballets and nearly 200 ballet miniatures. Yakobson developed a cult following in Russia and inspired a generation of important Soviet dancers, including Mikhail Baryshnikov and Natalia Makarova. He is still considered an important symbol of political resistance in the 20th century.
 
Dance Critic Roslyn Sulcas explains, “Despite the incessant repression and censorship that marked Soviet life—and his own—[Yakobson] would carve out a career as an important and innovative choreographer within a system inimical to invention and freedom of thought” (The New York Times).

A hidden yet monumental tale of an unruly native genius.

Janice Ross

Mikko Nissinen and Irina Yakobson, circa 1985.

Mikko Nissinen and Irina Yakobson, circa 1985.

Image courtesy of Mikko Nissinen

Preserving Yakobson’s legacy
 
Boston Ballet is one of the few companies in the United States to perform Yakobson’s work today, and is committed to carrying on his legacy. Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen first met Yakobson’s widow Irina in 1979 in St. Petersburg when he was a student at the Kirov Ballet School. He later performed in revivals of the choreographer’s works with Dutch National Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. He studied with Irina at San Francisco Ballet, where she taught with the Company from 1987–2000, and considered her not just a professional mentor but a dear friend.
 
“I am honored to be the custodian of these special pieces,” comments Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. “It is rare to see Leonid Yakobson’s choreography performed in the United States, and it is Boston Ballet’s privilege to present his work in celebration of his legacy and to share this unsung choreographer with new dance audiences.”

Boston Ballet continues to shed new light on Yakobson's transformative work, performing sections of his choreographic miniatures as part of BB@yourhome: Look Back, Focus Forward during the 2020–2021 virtual season.

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Behind the Scenes

Who was Leonid Yakobson?

Discover the courageous choreographer whose revolutionary works just barely survived Soviet-era censorship.

Explore

On stage: Boston Ballet presents Rhapsody

Watch the trailer for Rhapsody, a program bursting with rarely-seen works and poignant premieres.

On stage: Boston Ballet presents Rhapsody

Catch a thrilling on-stage preview of Rhapsody. This dynamic program includes an emotional trio of short works by Soviet-era choreographer Leonid Yakobson, a brilliant masterpiece by George Balanchine, and a thought-provoking world premiere by Principal Dancer Paulo Arrais.

Video by Ernesto Galan

Catch a thrilling on-stage preview of Rhapsody. This dynamic program includes an emotional trio of short works by Soviet-era choreographer Leonid Yakobson, a brilliant masterpiece by George Balanchine, and a thought-provoking world premiere by Principal Dancer Paulo Arrais.

Video by Ernesto Galan

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Female power captured to magnificent effect.

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Company dancers Kathleen Breen Combes, Rachele Buriassi, and Maria Alvarez move to George Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue" punctuated by a poem by Taina Cavalcante Rocha.

Video by Ernesto Galan

Company dancers Kathleen Breen Combes, Rachele Buriassi, and Maria Alvarez move to George Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue" punctuated by a poem by Taina Cavalcante Rocha.

Video by Ernesto Galan

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Take a peek as Soloist Isaac Akiba and Artist Abigail Merlis bring to life an iconic sculpture at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  

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Video by Ernesto Galan

Leonid Yakobson’s Rodin is inspired by the works of French sculptor Auguste Rodin. Watch what happens when Boston Ballet and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston collaborate to transform Rodin’s "Eternal Springtime" into living, breathing art.  

Video by Ernesto Galan

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Dancer Insight: Kathleen Breen Combes on ELA, Rhapsody in Blue

Kathleen Breen Combes shares her perspective on performing the starring role in ELA, Rhapsody in Blue. Discover what it’s like for her to work with fellow Principal Dancer Paulo Arrais’ on an empowering new work that celebrates female strength.

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Kathleen Breen Combes shares her perspective on performing the starring role in ELA, Rhapsody in Blue. Discover what it’s like for her to work with fellow Principal Dancer Paulo Arrais’ on an empowering new work that celebrates female strength.

Video by Ernesto Galan

Inside Look: Vestris with Stager Joan Boada

Few dancers have been up to the challenge of Leonid Yakobson’s Vestris since he created it for the legendary Baryshnikov, until now....

Inside Look: Vestris with Stager Joan Boada

Former San Francisco Ballet principal dancer Joan Boada is one of the few who have performed Leonid Yakobson’s Vestris, a demanding solo originally created for Mikhail Baryshnikov. Now as a stager, Boada shares his expertise with Boston Ballet dancers eager for the challenge of mastering and sharing the work with new audiences.

Video by Ernesto Galan

Former San Francisco Ballet principal dancer Joan Boada is one of the few who have performed Leonid Yakobson’s Vestris, a demanding solo originally created for Mikhail Baryshnikov. Now as a stager, Boada shares his expertise with Boston Ballet dancers eager for the challenge of mastering and sharing the work with new audiences.

Video by Ernesto Galan

Dancer Insight: Pas de Quatre

It’s all about the teamwork in Yakobson’s iconic ballet.

Dancer Insight: Pas de Quatre

From dueling divas to sisters in arms—Russian choreographer Leonid Yakobson challenged stereotypes about prima ballerinas with his lyrical Pas de Quatre. Hear from the dancers what it takes to perform this signature work where the beauty is in the teamwork.

Video by Ernesto Galan

From dueling divas to sisters in arms—Russian choreographer Leonid Yakobson challenged stereotypes about prima ballerinas with his lyrical Pas de Quatre. Hear from the dancers what it takes to perform this signature work where the beauty is in the teamwork.

Video by Ernesto Galan

Inside Look: Leonid Yakobson's Pas de Quatre

Yakobson biographer Janice Ross illuminates the history of the delicate and beautiful Pas de Quatre.

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Discover the Soviet-era choreographer who made ballet "a stealth weapon" and whose legacy continues on stage and in the teaching studio even today.
Video by Ernesto Galan

Discover the Soviet-era choreographer who made ballet "a stealth weapon" and whose legacy continues on stage and in the teaching studio even today.
Video by Ernesto Galan

The illusion we create is intended to deepen your understanding of reality.

Mikko Nissinen, Artistic Director
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