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It's thumbs up all round for ENB's 'Swan Lake'. I saw the opening night as did the critics below and like them found it a moving and aesthetically rewarding experience, which showed ENB at its best.

Thomas Edur is a striking Prince, conveying the emotion of the role clearly, both in exultation and despair, without ever becoming over-dramatic. Agnes Oakes, his wife danced with much poise and fine musicality and also produced great emotion without chewing the scenery.

The corps looked very well drilled to me and performed Petipa's steps and patterns with great beauty. The soloists did well, particualarly the ebullient Yat Sen Chang and the powerful, but graceful Shi Ning Liu (ex of the RB), who seems to have settled in well with his new company.

All in all, a lovely evening.

Clement Crisp's review in the FT

Judith Mackrell's review in The Guardian

Ismene Brown's review in The Daily Telegraph

[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited January 11, 2001).]

<small>[ 23 November 2003, 08:23 AM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

'A love to die for.' Debra Craine takes her hat off to English National Ballet's Derek Deane for his new Swan Lake at the Coliseum: <P> <A HREF="http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,62-67795,00.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,62-67795,00.html</A>

After this ENB season, Thomas Edur and Agnes Oaks will guest with the Estonian Ballet for several months. The company will premiere a new production of Ondine, the leading roles of which will be created on Edur and Oaks.<P>I also enjoyed their dancing in Derek Deane's pas de deux "Impromptu" in the ENB mixed programme.

I agree with you about 'Impromptu' Kevin. Agnes and Kevin are on great form at he moment. <P>I'm delighted that they are having a major work made on them. Do you know who the choreographer is? <p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited January 21, 2001).]

Stuart, I think it's an in-house choreographer of the Estonian Ballet who is not particularly well-known in the West. Actually Edur and Oaks have started dancing more in their native Estonia in the past year or so.

It's idle to speculate, but it's never stopped me in the past. I think it's a credit to them that they are choosing to work more in their native Estonia. <P>Given their stellar reputation, one feels that they could perform with a range of companies for loads o'money. But they are choosing to perform back home, where I suspect that they earn far less than they might. Good for them!

Well, for Edur and Oaks, it's not as easy for them to guest elsewhere as you may think. They prefer or if possible insist on dancing together as a couple. Normally a company would, I guess, prefer having a guest danseur dancing with one of its ballerinas, or a guest ballerina dancing with one of its leading men. Very seldom does a company take 2 guest dancers as a couple. <P>I quote an example from the Finnish National Ballet's Giselle premiered in Paris a week ago. Instead of having Sylvie Guillem dancing with Jonathan Cope on the same night, they casted Guillem with a Finnish principal Kare Lansivuori in the first cast, and Cope was in the second cast with one of their ballerinas.

Some latest news. Thomas Edur will start guesting with the Staatsoper Ballet of Berlin next week. And this company will undertake a tour of China in Feb. I may try to see Edur in a city nearer to Hong Kong.