East or West – Russian ballet is best. Ballet stars from all over the world have been invited to London to mark 100 years since legendary Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova moved to the UK.
The tribute gala evening on March 4 will see dancers from the world’s leading ballet companies including Russia’s Bolshoi and Mariinsky theaters, the Paris Opera, Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Berlin and Bavarian Staatsoper, American Ballet Theatre and La Scala.
Russia will be represented by stars such as Ulyana Lopatkina, Svetlana Zakharova, Vladislav Lantratov, Vyacheslav Lopatin, Alina Somova and Igor Zelensky.
The show, which comes as part of London’s Russian Ballet Icons series, will be staged in the Coliseum Theatre.
The all-star gala will open the Pavlova 2012 Festival marking the centenary of Anna Pavlova’s move to London from St. Petersburg. Pavlova spent around 20 years in London’s Ivy House. She was among the few ballet stars of the time who got the rare chance to tour widely, including India and the US.