Swan Lake "truly overwhelming"
Posted on 28 August 2018
Personally, I think ballet can be enjoyed by everyone. It may not be everyone’s “thing”, but such a beautiful art and sport has to be admired. However, if you love ballet, then it’s something you will love and appreciate always. Tchaikovsky’s ‘Swan Lake’ is infamous and renowned for a reason, and arguably the most popular ballet there is, which can be as uplifting as intimidating for a ballet company.
'Swan Lake’ has the highest standards expected from it, you go in expecting the best, and with The St Petersburg Ballet Theatre, that is exactly what you get. Along with The Orchestra of English National Opera, London’s Coliseum was wall to wall art of the highest form. Not only was the Coliseum consumed by it but so was every single audience member.
A good ballet completely captures you, a great ballet consumes you, your every sense enthralled. Being a big ballet fan myself, I found myself being moved to tears more than once (I may have wept a little during the first interval) and being choked up. It’s a truly overwhelming experience to witness such excruciatingly perfected art.
The St Petersburg Ballet Theatre were exceedingly outstanding but with Swan Lake, it will always be the role of Odette/Odile that steals the spotlight and, this production is no different. Irina Kolesnikova was nothing short of perfect, she had everyone in a trance, her every movement elegant and graceful as well as strong and powerful. This is a dancer that is a credit to the art of ballet, she embodies everything it takes to be great and then goes beyond that. Her changes from Odette to Odile and back to Odette are so brilliantly executed, her body language completely perfected. Kolesnikova is complemented most wonderfully by Denis Rodkin in the role of Prince Siegfried, strong and beautiful, a brilliant ballerina in full glory. I couldn’t sing my praises higher for this pair; having completely fallen in love with them and their exquisiteness.
If you’re a ballet and/or dance fan, then you already know that this isn’t something to be missed, but if you don’t consider yourself a fan, perhaps think it’s not your thing, I urge you to give it a try, because if anything is going to change your mind, then this production of ‘Swan Lake’ is bound to be it.
The Saint Petersburg Ballet Theatre's Swan Lake finishes its run at the London Coliseum 2 September. London Theatre Direct currently has 30% off selected tickets, use our interactive seating plan to find the best seats at the best prices here.
