THE RUSSIAN National Ballet Theatre returns to Canberra this week with full-length classical performances of “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker.”

With more than 50 ballet dancers, the company has toured the USA, China, Italy, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Guatemala, Poland, South Korea and Japan.

“Swan Lake” is of course one of the most loved of ballets. This production is by Evgeny Amosov, whose approach is to evoke both  the Russian Imperial world in which the ballet was created, and the tragic conflict of the human and spirit worlds.

Another all-time favourite is  “The Nutcracker,” originally staged in St Petersburg in 1890. The present staging is also directed by Amosov and, like “Swan Lake” accompanied by a loved Tchaikovsky score.

Amosov, graduated from the Perm Academy of choreography and then joined the Ekaterinburg Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet as a principal dancer. He is also a prize-winner of Russian and International choreography contests of ballet-masters and ballet dancers. In 1988 Amosov was awarded the title “Honoured artist of Russia.” In 2001 Amosov co-founded the company Russian National Ballet Theatre.

The Russian National Ballet Theatre was founded with support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. The basis for the creation of the theatre was the necessity of promising young theatre with high creative potential, both classical and contemporary.

The Russian National Ballet Theatre at Canberra Theatre Centre, “Swan Lake” October 11, “The Nutcracker” October 12. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.