Varna International Ballet

SWAN LAKE

Thursday, January 9, at Bristol Hippodrome

 

In my opinion it is promoters raking it in, and duping the audience, says our ballet critic on this performance, who asked herself 'sold out audiences and rapturous applause mask what is really going on here'.

 

The promoter Raymond Gubbay and owners of Varna International Ballet are offering woefully low quality shows at high prices. Barely better than what decent local schools could put on.

I am passionate about ballet and want audiences to see better than this. Clearly the Bristol audience is keen to see the classics (hooray) or they wouldn’t have applauded this poor effort quite so enthusiastically.

We are better advised to see Cinderella by Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) from Thursday to Friday, March 27-29, also at the Bristol Hippodrome. The quality of the ballet dancers as well as the production and orchestra is far superior to the limp offering by the Varna company.  

The lead dancers cast in Cinderella are all international award-winning dancers, most of whom trained at the elite and highly selective Royal Ballet School in London or in the world-renowned Cuban School.  

Carlos Acosta CBE is the international superstar leading the company since 2020, and his predecessor, Sir David Bintley, is the creator of this magical version of Cinderella.  

Incomprehensibly to me, these tickets are cheaper than the Varna company. 

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is also at the Hippodrome Tuesday to Saturday, March 4-8, and while that is not classical ballet (no tutus or pointe shoes), it is a phenomenal dance show which has been a worldwide sensation ever since it’s premiere 30 years ago.  

Male dancers are the swans in this version and the tour is already near sold out.  If you haven’t seen it yet, grab a ticket quickly.

Returning to the Varna company, there is little to recommend it, asides from the shows being traditional classical ballets.  

In this case the story of Swan Lake has been altered to no real advantage, and the music chopped about in an attempt to match it. The costumes appeared to be cobbled together from Bayadere (white tutus and tiaras from the shades scene with feathers added) and Sleeping Beauty.  

The Queen was dressed and behaved as though she was the wicked fairy Carabosse from Sleeping Beauty, or ‘Maleficent’ from the movie, neither of which match the character in the traditional or Varna’s own story. The creators of this version have muddled thinking.The dancers of the Varna company are young and inexperienced. Most are recent graduates of minor ballet schools who have not been taken on by better companies. I suspect their wages and that of the inadequate orchestra are low.