Seasoned dancers set Swan Lake off to a flying start

Ball has danced Siegfried before. He also appeared as the lead swan in an all-male, ballet noir adaptation of Swan Lake by Matthew Bourne and hence is aware of the material's dark psychological possibilities. Ball interprets Siegfried as a quiet and thoughtful young man, aware of his place in the royal court and yet something of an outsider, not particularly fond of socializing. For long periods of time, he is present on the scene as a spectator, watching others take the center stage. But his body language is most eloquent even when he stands perfectly still. His extremely understated interactions with the court jester - playful at first, bored after a while but never lacking in elegance - are a treat to watch. Which is not to say that his mid-air splits and barrel turns are any the less spectacular.

The choreography is by Yuri Possokhov, who was a principal dancer at the Bolshoi Ballet before he went on to choreograph for some of the most high-profile dance companies of the world. The production stays close to the 1895 stage adaptation of the original by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, though I'm not sure imagining the evil Von Rothbart as an incarnation of the court jester actually works. While Wang Zi as the Jester is most delightful, especially when he is appearing to be bungling his moves, Yonen Takano as Von Rothbart, though a competent dancer, does not come across as particularly menacing or cunning to justify his role as the evil mastermind. The transitions between the characters of the Jester and Von Rothbart could have been visualized more imaginatively. The scenography lacks the sophistication that is evident elsewhere in the production, particularly in the performances by its two lead dancers, Ye and Ball.