WATCHING Galina Ulanova dance the dying swan when in the 1960s the Bolshoi Ballet made a surprise visit to the Bristol Hippodrome and presented a programme of individual party pieces, was one of those magical never-to-be-forgotten theatrical moments. All future ballerinas have had to do battle with that memory when they come to the poignant ending of Swan Lake. And anyone who has been fortunate enough to see Matthew Bourne’s brilliant unique interpretation of the story to Tchaikovsky’s breathtaking score, will have the same sort of memories etched onto their senses.

It may be 30 years since Mathew Bourne startled, thrilled many and upset some traditionalists, with his unique interpretation of Swan Lake featuring an all-male ensemble of swans, but it is still one, if not the most, exciting production of ballet on the planet. World tours, filming and of course many changes of cast have not blunted its edge. The dance of the cygnets is still full of humour and the battle between the prince and the swans just as dramatic as it was on first sight.

With more than half the company graduating from Bourne’s New Adventures talent development programme, this production is is a full of exciting ambitious freshness. Like the dancing, there is nothing second rate about this show. Costumes and settings are beautifully lavish, giving the dancers a further boost. Not that they need one because the way in which they lovingly interpretate Matthew Bourne’s fascinatingly imaginative choreography, which fits Tchaikovsky’s score like an expensive haute couture gown, is as exciting as it is delightful to watch.

There is nothing to match the Opera House and Royal Ballet scenes for sheer fast-moving spectacle, nor the pure drama of the, at times, brutal movements and threat of the swans. There are of course fine individual moments, and expertly drawn characters within the production, but with a rotating cast of principle dancers it would be unfair to try and isolate individual performances. The way in which Bourne uses these characters to highlight and change direction within the story underlines a skill as director to match that of choreographer. And the principals’ response to his direction shows them to be as good actors as they are dancers.

Not only is this an outstanding production, it is one that was and still is groundbreaking in the way in which it has opened up ballet a much wider audience. The Bristol Hippodrome will be packed all week with audiences ranging in age from pensioners to junior school children, many of who will never have seen a classical ballet, but who, through Matthew Bourne’s unique vision, will find a whole new theatrical world opening up for them.

If you can get a ticket, join them for a visual treat, and experience of dance movement that could well, as it has for thousands of others, change your thoughts about the world of ballet.

GRP