Theatre Review: Varna International Ballet - Swan Lake, Bristol Hippodrome

Summary:

Rating: ★★★★

Running Dates: Wednesday 9th January 2025

Where to see it: Bristol Hippodrome

Duration: 2 hours, 20 minutes (including interval)

Keywords: Elegant, Romantic

Review

Mid way through we were treated to the famous Swan dance which was performed by about 20 dancers, who were in perfect unison. If you aren’t familiar with ballet, you will certainly recognise this.

It you ever loved to dance as a child in that classic fluffy skirt….Swan Lake certainly satisfies that nostalgia. If you haven’t been to this ballet before it’s defiantly worth familiarising yourself with the storyline beforehand. It begins with a story projected onto a screen on the back drop while the prince on stage portrayed himself reading a book (supposedly of what the screen was showing). It took a little while to understand what was happening but once it clicks you are drawn in.

The dancers are incredibly elegant and tell the story beautifully, with several playing multiple roles with skill.

The black swan ballerina was a standout performer. She was mesmerising to watch and her dances seemed incredibly hard, but she made it look easy. In contrast the white swan was beautifully romantic in her movements and really made you want the good side to win in the end. Mid way through we were treated to the famous Swan dance which was performed by about 20 dancers, who were in perfect unison. If you aren’t familiar with ballet, you will certainly recognise this.

Let’s not forget about the orchestra ! They were superb and set the atmosphere for every part of the performance wonderfully. The violin soloist played with such passion you couldn’t help be swept away, and the lady playing the double bass was clearly having the best time with the music and was a lot of fun to watch.

Overall, there were a few parts of the show that seemed to drag and the set seemed a little basic but in context of the time the piece was written it was to be expected. The screen led back drop malfunctioned a few times but it didn’t dampen the show.

To get tickets for the Varna International Ballet click here

We were kindly gifted these tickets in exchange for a review.

Written by Alie Myers

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