HAVING sold out the Anvil last year, the Russian State Ballet and Opera House returns to Basingstoke once more.

After dazzling the audience with their rendition of The Nutcracker, the group returns this time with the world-famous Swan Lake.

It was 135 years ago, audiences heard Swan Lake by the great Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky for the very first time. From that moment on, the world of ballet would never be the same.

Directed and choreographed by former Bolshoi Ballet Soloist, Konstantin Uralsky, Swan Lake is a tale of two young women, Odette and Odile, who resemble each other so closely that one can easily be mistaken for the other. It is a compelling legend of a tragic romance in which a princess, Odette, is turned into a swan by an evil curse.

The Russian State Ballet will bring Swan Lake to the Anvil on Thursday, 18 October as part of three day UK tour.

Producer Alexej Ignatow, of Amande Concerts Ltd, who has co-ordinated the UK tour, said: “We are constantly on the lookout for new challenges, to ensure that our opera and ballet audiences get a chance to experience a wide spectrum of various classic pieces.

“With extensive national tours that get our productions seen the length and breadth of the country, we are able to offer national audiences in various theatres an unforgettable experience at a fraction of the price of the major opera houses, all without sacrificing quality.

“So, continuing to work with theatres all over the UK it is very close to my heart. We aim to deliver top quality productions every year and make new converts wherever we go.”

Swan Lake captures, like no other ballet, the full range of human emotions – from hope to despair, from terror to tenderness, from melancholy to ecstasy.

Swan Lake will be performed by at the Anvil on October 18. For more information and tickets, go to anvilarts.org.uk/whats-on/swan-lake-3.