In 1842, ballet-mad fans in Russia made a soup with famed prima ballerina Marie Taglioni’s pointe shoes (yes, they ate it!). It’s been 173 years since the shoe-soup incident, and Russia continues to produce dancers who deserve such wild devotion — among them members of the renowned Saint Petersburg State Russian Ballet, in town to perform Swan Lake.
Set to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s classic score, Swan Lake tells the story of Odette, a girl who, having been cursed, appears as a white swan during the day and returns to her true form as an ethereal maiden at night. When Siegfried, a prince, ventures into the woods after dusk, he sees Odette in her human form and instantly falls in love with her. Tragedy, triumph and beautiful dancing ensue in acts two and three.
Soloists for this production include Anna Voitina, Natalia Potekhina, Alexander Voitin and Ivan Sitnikov. The company’s artistic director is Alexander Bruskin, a former soloist with the Kirov Ballet (and classmate of Mikhail Baryshnikov).
7 p.m. Friday. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana. For information, call 832-487-7041 or visit houstonfirsttheaters.com. $45 to $160.
Sat., April 11, 7 p.m., 2015
This article appears in Apr 9-15, 2015.