St. Petersburg Ballet coming to Melbourne
Hailed from London to Paris, the internationally acclaimed St. Petersburg Ballet will arrive in Melbourne in June 2015 to present its full-length classical production of the world’s most loved ballet, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.
First performed in St. Petersburg in 1895, the immortal and enchanting Swan Lake, with its unrivalled “white acts”, its spectacular and dramatic ballroom scene, sublime music and deeply moving story, is the ballet that towers above all others.
Swan Lake will be presented at Plenary, the new performance venue at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, from Saturday, June 20, 2015. This will be the first time a ballet presentation will be hosted at Plenary, a plush, state-of-the-art theatre space that has previously hosted performances by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and other major theatre events.
Founded in 1994, St. Petersburg Ballet is renowned globally not just for its beautiful Vaganova-trained dancers but also for its grand productions. The company travels internationally complete with breathtaking scenery and magnificent costumes. It is the only classical ballet company in the world that is completely independent of government financial aid or sponsor funding. The company has in its repertoire the classical masterpieces Giselle, Don Quixote, La Bayadère, Les Sylphides, Paquita, The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. On average, the in-demand company gives 200 to 250 performances every year.
As producer of the tour with decades of experience in presenting quality Russian ballet in Australia, Andrew Guild said, “The St. Petersburg Ballet is truly traditional Russian classical ballet at its very best. This is the real thing…”
The 55-member St. Petersburg Ballet continually collects rave reviews around the world. Since its inception, the company has toured to six continents with performances in Spain, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Italy, Austria, USA, Brazil, Turkey, South Africa, South Korea, New Zealand, Japan, China, Macau and Taiwan. The company first performed in Australia in 1999. They are regularly seen in Paris at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and have been seen on such celebrated stages as the Royal Albert Hall, Bunkamura Hall in Tokyo, the National Theater in Tapei and the National Theatre in Beijing.
The 2015 Melbourne season is part of an international tour that includes performances in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Singapore and Perth. In Perth, the company will be presenting Swan Lake and Giselle at His Majesty’s Theatre.
In August 2015, following the Melbourne season of Swan Lake, St. Petersburg Ballet will be presenting Swan Lake and La Bayadère at the London Coliseum. To book tickets for the Melbourne season, visit www.ticketmaster.com.au.
Photo: St. Petersburg Ballet performing Swan Lake. Photo courtesy of St. Petersburg Ballet.