On Friday night, I skipped ballet class to see Mikhailovsky Ballet’s Swan Lake at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and I am in love with the performance! Check out the link for photos, as well as a video, of the sets & costumes!

Odette/Odile: Oksana Bondareva
Prince Siegfried: Victor Lebedev

Oksana was a beautifully talented Odette! The way she moved her head and body made it seem as if she were truly a swan queen – swan by day, princess by night. Of course, it’s her role as Odile that captured our attention. I counted 21 fouettes (but there may have been more) that she executed with perfection, applauded by the entire audience that she came to the front of the stage to “ballet curtsy” us. 🙂

It was such a pity, however, that there were not enough attendees. I am quite certain it is because the majority of Vancouverites are unaware that one can buy 1/2 price tickets from Tickets Tonight on the day of the performance. Mine was around $35 and I got to sit in the middle of the balcony. 🙂 It was certainly a delightful treat to see one of my favourite ballets for the 2nd time (my 1st time was 10 years ago, when the St Petersburg or National Ballet of Russia performed in Taipei).