AUSTRALIAN producer Andrew Guild may be excited about the present tour of St Petersburg Ballet Theatre through Asia, but he is certainly looking forward to bringing Swan Lake to Perth in June.
“The theatre in Singapore is so perfect but there is a slight blandness when compared to walking along Hay Street up to the beautiful His Majesty’s Theatre,” Guild said.
“The foyer is gorgeous and the inside of the theatre is an absolute knockout. It has such a fantastic look and I understand it now has new seats.
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READ NOW“It’s a little bit smaller but that just means we have to reposition certain dancers because playing in such a beautiful place is a benefit.”
Guild has worked with St Petersburg Ballet Theatre for 18 years and was last in Perth with Swan Lake in 2015.
“Working with this company is such a pleasure, so I try to wangle it that I’m travelling with the company most of the time,” Guild said.
“The last 12 months, we’ve been all over South Africa, Asia and now it will be Australia then London.
“Swan Lake is the most famous classic ballet and has everything; with the white tutus and pink pointe shoes, great scenery, a lovely story and fantastic music, it’s the complete package.
“Whenever we do another ballet, be it The Nutcracker, Giselle or Don Quixote, which are all in the St Petersburg repertoire, the greatest demand is always for Swan Lake.”
St Petersburg Ballet Theatre is a privately owned company without financial aid or sponsor funding which Guild said meant it could make solid commercial decisions.
“At the end of the day, if the decisions we made are incorrect, the public tell us and if the decisions are the right ones, the public tell us; it’s as simple as that,” he said.
“Classical ballet has always been popular but we’re finding there is an even bigger audience now. There is a huge interest in ballet schools and not everyone ends up becoming a full-time ballet dancer, but they still have this connection to the dance classes they did when they were little girls or boys.”
Community News has 10 double passes to give away to Swan Lake at His Majesty’s Theatre, 7.30pm, June 7. Enter here by 10am, Friday, May 25.
THE ESSENTIALS
What: Swan Lake
Where: His Majesty’s Theatre
When: From June 7 including a 12pm matinee, June 13
Tickets: www.ticketek.com.au