Swan Lake, State Ballet of Georgia review: A London debut that’s clean, confident and sturdily traditional

The company moves with a shared sense of identity, but this production is a brisk, streamlined account that’s firmly on the conservative side

State Ballet of Georgia perform ‘Swan Lake’ (Sasha Gusov)

The State Ballet of Georgia makes its London debut with a sturdily traditional Swan Lake. The large-scale production offers clean, confident dancing throughout the ranks, but could do more to reach the romantic intensity of Tchaikovsky’s score.

Founded in the 19th century, the State Ballet of Georgia stepped onto the international map in 2004, when it appointed beloved former Bolshoi Ballet star Nina Ananiashvili as its director. She brings her star name and energy to this company, drawing on both her Bolshoi roots and her sense of adventure.

This Swan Lake is firmly on the conservative side. Staged with her former Bolshoi partner Alexey Fadeyechev, it’s a brisk, streamlined account, with conventional storybook designs by Vyacheslav Okunev. It avoids fuss – no added backstories or heavy concepts.

In its haste to get to the classic setpieces, it can overlook moments of drama. In the first act, it drops the moment when the Prince first sees the flight of swans overhead. He just goes off hunting, with no sense that he’s being called from the court to the magical world of the lakeside.

Nino Samadashvili is an assured, long-limbed Swan Queen. She moves smoothly through the steps, but at first she keeps her emotional distance. She opens up as the story progresses, with a sorrowful sense of line in the last act.

As Odile, the Swan Queen’s wicked double, she dances with a sharper attack and a crisp sense of story. She watches as Oleg Lihai’s prince succumbs to her wiles, always ready to plan her next move. She powers through the famous 32 fouetté turns and shows real glee when the plot is revealed. Lihai is a steady partner as her Prince. He has a strong jump, though his landings could be quieter, and shows a courtly sense of gesture.

It’s a large company, bringing massed ranks of swans to the lakeside. The Georgian corps de ballet move with collective weight, a sense of shared identity. The details of their dancing are sometimes clipped, as if the big Coliseum stage were a little too small for them. Hands are neat, but work from the wrist, rather than with the beat of mighty wings.

‘Swan Lake’ at the London Coliseum (Sasha Gusov)

Supporting roles are danced with energy. Marcelo Soares is a glowering presence as the magician, while Efe Burak is charismatic as the Prince’s friend Benno. The national dance scenes are variable, from a strangely skimpy czardas to a Spanish dance packed with swooping backbends. Conductor Papuna Gvaberidze led the English National Ballet orchestra in an emphatic account of the score.

Until 8 September; londoncoliseum.org