Opening the Autumn 2023 double-bill was the UK premiere of Schachmatt (Checkmate!) by internationally acclaimed choreographer Cayetano Soto, which had audiences on their feet at its world premiere. This quirky, energetic, 20-minute ballet is inspired by the words of Joan Rivers, the films of Pedro Almodovar and the choreography of Bob Fosse, and sees dancers perform with precision and razor-sharp wit across a giant chessboard.

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Scottish Ballet premiere: Autumn 2023

Choreography: Cayetano Soto
Set, Costume & Lighting Design: Cayetano Soto
Rehearsal Assistant: Mikiko Arai
Music: Rina Ketty, Michel Le Grand, Jack Constanzo, Monna Bell, María Teresa Lara – Toña La Nega & Los Panchos

★★★★

Cayetano Soto fell in love with dance via the work of Bob Fosse, and there are shades of the late master here. The dancers excel themselves with an unfaltering tight unison that still leaves enough wiggle room for fun

The Scotsman

This UK premiere is surely one of the campest things ever brought to stage. The ensemble do an exacting, precise, acrobatic series of canters, preening, strutting and shimmying across a giant chess board to a retro soundtrack of lounge and Latin jazz.

Fjord Review