The Russian Ballet of St Petersburg, which gave the first of 10 performances of Swan Lake at the Waterfront Hall, Belfast, on Thursday, is only 10 years old, but it is a fine company with a splendid corps de ballet. It was a joy to see so many well-trained bodies moving with discipline and musicality, achieving a remarkable resemblance to swans in Act 4.
Janna Ayupora was a lovely Odette and a glittering Odile, while Perm-trained Viktor Baranov made an ideal partner, as well as a dancer in true noble style, though his long legs were in danger of carrying him off-stage on many of his great leaps. The Act 1 Pas de Trois was beautifully danced by Yelena Nicolaeva, Igor Shepelev and Ludmila Telious, though the latter's noisy point shoes marred the spell.
There were gorgeous costumes and romantic back cloths, but the latter were not properly stretched, spoiling the effect with wrinkles, possibly due to limited staging facilities at this venue. It was, however, a constant delight to have Tchaikovsky's much-loved score played superbly by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Katowice, conducted by Miroslaw Blaszezyk.
Since publicity claimed this production was close to the original, because the artistic director's father danced with the Kirov in a 1940s revival under the direction of Petipa himself, I must contradict this claim. The production contains all the alterations made during the Soviet regime, from the substitution of dance for the beautiful passages of mime which told the story, to the ludicrous happy ending. But then these are in Acts 2 and 4, which were choreographed by Ivanov, Petipa being responsible for Acts 1 and 3. However, it was beautifully danced and staged.
Repeated today and tomorrow at 2.30 and 7.30 p.m.