US Audience Accepts Russian St. Petersburg Ballet Debut With Standing Ovations - Prima

US Audience Accepts Russian St. Petersburg Ballet Debut With Standing Ovations - Prima

American public met Russian dancers from St. Petersburg Ballet Theater very warmly with standing ovations, the company's prima ballerina Irina Kolesnikova told Sputnik about the debut in the United States

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th February, 2020) American public met Russian dancers from St. Petersburg Ballet Theater very warmly with standing ovations, the company's prima ballerina Irina Kolesnikova told Sputnik about the debut in the United States.

St. Petersburg Ballet Theater presented Swan Lake with Kolesnikova as Odile/Odette in New York last weekend. The company will perform in Washington's National Theatre February 21-23.

"Audience's acceptance has surpassed all expectations, people ushered us with standing ovations," Kolesnikova said about the performance in New York. "Dancers can perform every day after getting such energy."

Speaking of her first impressions of Washington, Kolesnikova said it looks like a different city in comparison with New York.

"Everything is solid and steady here," she said. "I do not know whether people will express their emotions in the theater, but would hope they would not hold themselves back."

The ballerina acknowledged she sees no big difference between Russian, US and European audiences.

"Almost in every country, ballet lovers have specific emotions in the theater, and usually they accept us very cordially," she said.

Unexpansive Chinese spectators are the only exception from this list, Kolesnikova noted.

"Only well after a performance you can understand that they were excited," she said.

Asked why the theater chose Swan Lake for its debut in the US, Kolesnikova explained that Odile/Odette is her first leading part.

"For debut, it is better to perform Swan Lake," she added.

Odile/Odette is a dream for every girl who begins her way in ballet, Irina said.

"It is a 'gold standard' of the art of ballet - a very interesting internal play where you have to transform to completely different characters," she said.

Kolesnikova even did not think about this part but she said she was lucky to get it from the very beginning of her career at the age of 19.

"I was blessed with getting Odile/Odette," she said.

The St. Petersburg Ballet Theater was founded in 1994 and has performed around the world, including in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, New Zealand, South Africa, South Korea, Israel and Turkey.

The troupe's repertoire includes Giselle, Don Quixote, La Bayadere, Les Sylphides, Paquita, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty.