WHEN you hear the words "Russian" and "ballet" spoken in the same sentence, already you picture feats of seamless accomplishment and expressive elegance.
Add Swan Lake to the equation and anticipation grows, for this is truly one of the best-known and most beloved ballet productions the world over.


It is not often that South African theatre goers have an opportunity to witness a spectacle such as the Swan Lake production by Konstantin Tachkin's St Petersburg Ballet Theatre.


The gorgeous set, talented dancers, live orchestra and fantastical tale all combine to create an atmosphere drenched in culture, beauty and magic.


Starting out in the radiant autumnal glow of a castle terrace, the set design and costumes immediately conspire to transport the audience into a fairy-like realm.
Prince Siegfried (Dmitry Akulinin), lithe and sculpted, is introduced amid the twirling corps de ballet, a castle party celebration ahead of the young prince\'s coming of age.


Dancing and jesting paused momentarily, Prince Siegfried accepts, the gift of a crossbow from the Queen, then sighting down the shaft of his crossbow, gazing at the luminescent vision before him, young Prince Siegfried gradually lowers the point of the deadly bolt. He cannot bring himself to cause injury to the graceful creature before him, cannot allow a scarlet bloom to form on her white breast. Still contemplating the shimmering swan, the graceful beauty that caused him to stay his hand, Prince Siegfried .watches in disbelief as the vision before him begins to morph into the shape of a beautiful young maiden - the swan queen graces the night.
The story of Swan Lake is based on an old German fairytale in which a young maiden is trapped in the body of a swan by day, under enchantment of the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart. It is only under the mantle of night that the maiden regains her true form and dances her sadness.
It is this vision that captures the. heart of Prince Siegfried, newly come of age and in search of a bride. It is a classic tale, encompassing all the elements of love, betrayal, magic and evil.
Swan Lake as a ballet first came into existence in the late 19th century when it was commissioned by the Intendant of the Moscow Imperial Theatres, Vladimir Begichev, in 1875. The original production, choreographed by Julius Reisinger, met with harsh criticism and the musical score by Tchaikovsky was deemed undanceable. Yet despite this, it has stood the test of time and is today one of the best loved and celebrated ballet productions of all time. The ballet as it is in its present form was recreated by famed choreographer Marius Petipa and his assistant Lev Ivanov towards the end of the 19th century With adaptations to the score and choreography in place, the production opened . again in 1895 and is today considered a ballet masterpiece. -


The accomplished performance by Dmitry Shevstov as the Jester truly brings the first scene in the first Act to life. His humorous antics on stage bring a lightness to the otherwise serious, majestic piece, and his technical prowess is staggering.


It is only with the second scene of the first Act, however, and the introduction of the company's Prima Ballerina Irina Kolesnikova as Odette, that the legendary quality of Swan Lake is born on stage.


The dark, eerie lakeside setting is beautiful in its implied presence of evil and the familiar strains of haunting music echo through the theatre. This dancer becomes the swan, moving lightly across the stage and exhibiting a tortured beauty, woeful grace and unspeakable elegance as she dances the plight of her enchanted swan life.


Kolesnikova is undoubtedly a rare gem who should remain jealously guarded, as is even more clearly evidenced when she dances the role of Odile in Act Two, Scene Three, the ballroom scene. A mirror replica of Odette, Odile dressed in black exudes a confidence and superiority of character in clear contrast to that of the fragile, elegant swan queen.
Technically superb, Kolesnikova so effectively illustrates the different characters that she could well have been two different dancers.


The final act sees Prince Siegfried take on the evil sorcerer, Von Rothbart, in a monumental battle lasting throughout the hours of darkness. With Von Rothbart's defeat, Odette is freed from her enchantment and finally feels the first rays of dawn grace her human skin again.


The company boasts some brilliant dancers, with Andrey Yaknuk, Olga Ovchinnikova and Sabina Yapparova exhibiting skilled accomplishment during a pas de trois and, as mentioned earlier, the spectacular, flawless execution of the Jester by Dmitry Shvetsov.


This said, however, one does at times feel that everything doesn't quite gel with the seamless perfection expected of a company of this calibre. Some unfortunate fumblings by Akulinin somewhat spoiled what would otherwise have been a very good display, and the corps de ballet do at times appear to be a tad disunited, lacking that oneness that you be instinctive following hours of drilling to perfection.


All in all, though, the production is superb, the dancers are fabulous and the venue is sufficiently grandiose to create a setting suited to the legendary Swan Lake.


The vaguely glimpsed glow from the orchestra pit builds anticipation even before the first note sounds, and the acoustics, set design, costumes and light all work spectacularly.


Swan Lake is a classic that must be seen at least once in life, and the production by Konstantin Tachkin's St Petersburg Ballet Theatre is gorgeous.