Classic Swan Lake

Swan lake
Imperial Russian Ballet Company
Reviewed by MIRIAM SHARLAND

Another night, another show for the Imperial Russian Ballet Company, whose work ethic is extraordinary. The group follows a punishing schedule - the company rides between venues by bus, sometimes sleeping on it, with barely time to see the stage before getting on it to perform.

But what a performance it was, and the audience arrived by the busload too for this very popular work by a company whose visits to New Zealand are an annual highlight for many ballet fans.

This is a classic Swan Lake, with a happy ending to boot (directors have a choice of two, tragic or all's well that ends well). Perhaps ironically, for a ballet that depicts the forces of good and evil battling it out, the happy ending was decreed by Stalin in 1931. there were a few changes to the traditional choreography by Artistic Director Gediminas Taranda that might not please the purists.

But Swan Lake's cygnets in their white tutus are the archetypal ballerinas and there were plenty of those to keep the audience happy. The four cygnets were a highlight with immaculate footwork, and the corps throughout showed wonderful synchronicity.

Anastasia Homitskaya as Odile/Odette showed great stage presence, and had something of the air of a silent movie star. She switched between roles with great ease and brought different characterisation to each.

Graceful and athletic, Nariman Bekzhanov was commanding as Siegfried.

You have to applaud these artists for their sheer commitment and dedication to bringing their production to far-flung New Zealand and performing with a real passion. The Imperial Russian Ballet Company has become a fixture on the NZ ballet scene, and long may it continue.

- © Fairfax NZ News