Bunbury enchanted by Moscow Ballet's Swan Lake

Arguably one of the most iconic ballets in the world thanks to composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s score, the show tells the story of the lovelorn Prince Siegfried who is urged to find a bride by his mother, the Queen. 

That night Siegfried goes hunting and spies a swan who transforms into a beautiful maiden, Odette, the white swan. He charms her and she reveals she is forced to live as a swan by day after sorcerer Von Rothbart placed a spell on her. 

Von Rothbart tries to trick Siegfried into believing the sorcerer’s daughter Odile, the black swan, is actually Odette and for a moment in act three, he is fooled and promises to marry Odile instead. 

The show has two alternative endings but the Russian company always opt for the happier version where Von Rothbart is defeated and the spell is broken, leaving Odette and Prince Siegfried to marry.  

Principal ballerina Anastasia Chumakova was simply stunning as Odette, putting a lifetime of training to good use. 

Her style was particularly soft yet powerful and accurately reflected Odette’s struggle to break the sorcerer’s grip while daring to believe in the love Siegfried had for her. 

The ensemble spent the performance decked out in lavish costumes and brought technical excellence to the stage. 

This is clearly a well rehearsed show that left the local audience enraptured. 

A number of solos performed by Siegfried and Odile during the third act highlighted why ballet is such a highly thought of art-form, with spectacular leaps and twirling sequences where revolutions were impossible to count. 

Add in the light humour brought to the stage by the court jester and you have a rounded performance to satisfy all theatre-goers. 

It is now with much anticipation that Bunbury awaits the Moscow Ballet’s return in early 2018 with a production of Nutcracker.