When I first saw her dance Swan Lake I thought choreographer Marius Petipa could have created the piece with Kolesnikova in mind a century ago.

Her technique appears as perfect as ever and she still takes her every move, even the smallest and with no hint of strain, to its furthest possible reach. When she lifts an arm her fingers stretch to the roof, when she lays her head on her lover’s shoulder her ecstasy swirls around him.

This is Kolesnikova’s secret weapon.



Where a lot of dancers overact in search of “projection” to communicate with every corner of the auditorium, this remarkable artist’s inner convictions somehow radiate out into the real world as clear as day.



The range of emotion and style combined in the role of Odette/Odile, separates the women from the girls and Kolesnikova’s definitive interpretation must have earned a place in the Swan Lake history books.