Ballet / “Swan Lake”, Royal Czech Ballet. At Canberra Theatre until September 20. Reviewed by SAMARA PURNELL.

LITTLE girls in white and pink tulle dresses and sequined headbands file into the Canberra Theatre for the opening of the Royal Czech Ballet’s “Swan Lake”.

“Swan Lake” opens with the Court Jester (Seiyu Ogaswara) and his cheeky commentary, fuelled by free-flowing alcohol, on the matchmaking attempts for Prince Siegfried (Nikolay Nazarkevich). With impish leaps and grand pirouettes, he confidently stuck his landings and performed with personable flair, to enthusiastic applause.

An instant smile on the faces of the theatre-goers, which is almost impossible not to adopt, is set to remain through the production, presented here in two acts.

To the instantly recognised and much-loved strains of Tchaikovsky’s pretty music, the evening is filled with rich costumes and sparkling tiaras, sweeping the audience into the traditional fairytale of a beautiful girl turned into a swan by the evil Baron von Rothbart.

Long-limbed male dancers and their partners lightly waltz before a beautiful Queen (Maria Mihailova) and a string of lovely das de deux by female “suitors” for her son, Prince Siegfried unfold on stage. There are a few wobbles and some lack of synchronicity from the ensemble at times but not enough to detract from the enjoyment of the performance.

Odette, danced by Cristina Terentiev, is captivating from the first glimpse. Terentiev embodies the nuances and style of the swan queen perfectly. Her athletic physique is impressive as she strikes her poses confidently and strongly. Gorgeous split-lifts and leg extensions punctuate her dances. To read that she was a soloist in 2003 led to the discovery that Terentiev is giving this lovely portrayal at 39 years of age. Odile is danced with confidence, precision and pleasure, rather than the more seductive or vampish portrayal often seen. Terentiev began her fouettes at breakneck speed, finishing with the traditional audience applause.

The delight at seeing the stage fill with the corp de ballet in a flurry of frenetic swans never wanes. This was particularly beautiful in part, ironically, due to the size of the stage, which forced the dancers into very tight formations. The struggle with the stage dimensions was evident given the lavish, large-scale set and an ensemble of 18 dancers on stage at once.

Costumes of jet black velvet and white tutus with sparkles pleased the audience, with little gasps of delight from the younger members at the parade of dancers in purple and red garments and elaborate headdresses that opened Act II. The chemistry was a little lacking between some of the couples and at times, the intricate choreography ran away from the male dancers.

Nazarkevich, who is strikingly tall, performed some nice leaps in his solos and competently partnered Terentiev throughout their pas de deux.

Vladimir Statni’s Baron von Rothbart was dramatically presented, but at times almost incidentally comical and in the court scene and final scenes, drew some of the attention from the pas de deux and climax.

This production opted for a happy ending, rather than the usual watery death of the Prince. And under a soft pink moon, giving way to daybreak, in front of a shimmery lake, the exquisitely lit, beautifully choreographed ensemble scene unfurled in the pretty finale of Prince Siegfried and his Swan Queen.

This is exactly what was needed on a cold and windy evening to go home feeling cosy and satisfied.