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Daria and Dmitri turned out to be the best *couple* of the three seen to date. They complemented each other very well and neither appeared to have problems or indeed look tired at doing their third Swan Lake in only 4 days. It was a Swan Lake where you didn't have to fret or wonder if it might unravel, just enjoy the story and revel in quality, unshowy dance. For those who know RB but not ENB, it would be right to say that Daria has a similar feel to Miyako Yoshida while Tamara (Rojo - the other ENB principal who danced recently) has the same Mediterranean feel of Viviana Durante. Having said this I now expect to be contradicted every which way! Anyway I truly love both styles and if I see too much of one I start to long for the other.

So Daria's Odette/Odile is rooted very much in the most lovely technique - crystal clear and devoid of extraneous show. One Act II pdd, where Odette gently beats her leg as she is turned by Siegfried I found

Busy time - Daria and Ian got married during the week as well! Congrats to them both.

amazingly moving - the beating of the leg being so delicate and soft and yet inch perfect. It might seem an odd cameo to keep, but it's something that I'll remember for a long time. Gruzdyev is so powerful he can place a ballerina anywhere it seems - he almost makes it look too easy I think. As princes go he looks more the rabble-rousing and womanising sort, who would probably look to fully test-drive each of the princesses rather than making a hasty decision to spurn them all at a single party! A confident prince who delivered the jumps and turns.

The different perspective from the Circle was really welcome and the critics really ought to get up there and see the view too - it might change some minds even. The precision and patterns of the corps really do impress when viewed from up high - so perfect it was almost like looking down a kaleidoscope at times. The other thing that impressed again was the lighting - state of the art technology but used with subtlety I think. The most luscious golds and reds in the third act materialised.

The only down side with the circle is if somebody in front decides to kidnap some extra view and lean forward - it really condemns everybody else into doing the same for no net benefit. The other thing is that some of the poses of the principals and soloists can look a bit odd at such an angle. Ideally it would be nice to be a bit lower if one could. But nobody should really feel hard done by in the circle.

As postings show, the casting for the rest of the Swan Lake UK tour seem to be all over the place. If you are after a specific cast best to ring the venue and ask direct. Of course things can still change... But I certainly hope more people get to see Daria and Dmitri.