Review: STATE BALLET OF GEORGIA'S SWAN LAKE, London Coliseum

It's a significant cultural moment for the State Ballet of Georgia, who come to London for the first time in their 175 year history to perform the iconic Swan Lake. The Bolshoi and Mariinsky are no longer welcome in the West, so could this be their replacement?

Not quite, but this is certainly a production for fans of Russian ballet to enjoy. Artistic director Nina Ananiashvili was a star of the Bolshoi from 1981-2004 and you can see that Russian influence here. Technical precision, athleticism and dynamic movement are all on show, but emotion and storytelling are often lacking. There are also constant stops and starts to the flow, as the dancers come forward to take bows after every segment. Very Bolshoi, but also frustrating to watch.

Inspired by Russian and German folk tales, the story follows Prince Siegfried who falls in love with Odette, a princess turned into a swan by evil Von Rothbart. The curse can only be broken with true love. Siegfried is tricked by Rothbart into falling in love with BLACK SWAN Odile. Here the endings differ in various productions; Ananiashvili gives us the happy ending, where Siegfried and Odette are reunited and the curse is broken.

I may be an old cynic, but personally, I find this conclusion less emotionally satisfying, as it lacks the heartrending sadness of either Odette being cursed to spend eternity as a swan, or the suicide pact between Odette and Siegfried.

Oleg Lihai's Prince Siegfried is curiously blank for much of the production; his dancing feels like he is ticking off the steps, rather than fully engaging with the emotional heft of the character. Consequently there is a distinct lack of chemistry with Nino Samadashvili’s Odette, although there is effortless jumping and precision in all his movements.

Samadashvili is a nervously shaking, yet slightly vanilla Odette. She finds more to work with as an assured and flirtatiously confident Odile. Her fouettées are effortless and her calm steadiness belies the sweat coating her body.

Marcelo Soares gives Rothbart the most drive and he exudes malevolent energy with soaring leaps and expansive arms. The corps de ballet is beautifully co-ordinated, with some really lovely work from the national dancers. The Spanish dancers' impressive back bends are more reminscent of Cirque du Soleil than a ballet company.

The conductor Papuna Gvaberidze ups the pace of Tchaikovsky’s score to such an extent that some sections almost sound rushed. However, the English National Opera orchestra melts during the gorgeous lakeside pas de deux.

Vyacheslav Okunev’s lavish set and costumes are detailed and extravagant. The Medieval-style to the production looks ravishing, particularly the party set in a cathedral-like space with soaring columns, stained glass windows and stone statues gazing down.

So not quite a substitute for the Bolshoi, but I expect the company is more than happy to distance itself from any such association.

State Ballet of Georgia perform Swan Lake at the London Coliseum until September 8

 Photo Credits: Sasha Gusov

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