The magic of landmark figures

The Mikhailovsky Theatre is celebrating two major landmarks soon: the 100th performance of Nikita Dolgushin’s production of Giselle, ou Les Wilis on 25 March and the 100th performance of Mikhail Messerer’s version of Swan Lake on 1 April. It would be impossible to think of any ballet theatre without these two titles, but Giselle and Swan Lake are particularly precious to our company: it was with them that the “new history” of the Mikhailovsky ballet is considered to have begun.

Our premiere of Giselle took place on 3 November 2007. Nikita Dolgushin, a renowned expert on the classical legacy and a man with impeccable taste, created a production “of the highest standard”. That was how it was rated in London, where it was performed several times during the theatre’s tours. The “absolutely traditional” and “invariably beautiful” Giselle is full of pleasant tokens of the past and the canonical choreographic text is permeated with a romantic spirit.

The so-called “Old Moscow” version of Swan Lake is now performed only at the Mikhailovsky Theatre. The unique production retains unchanged the choreography of Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, Alexander Gorsky and Asaf Messerer. Its premiere on 15 September 2009 was greeted enthusiastically by theatre critics, describing it as “well-balanced, logical, and dynamic — the production looks younger and fuller of joie de vivre than you would expect considering its age.” Reviewers also remarked on the beauty of the choreography, noting particularly “the anxiety, mental vacillations and individuality of the swans in an apparently identical flock.”