Alexei Ratmansky’s reconstruction of the Petipa/Ivanov Swan Lake is as eye-opening as was his version of The Sleeping Beauty: it is fresh, it is vital, it effectively tells a story and communicates right to the heart with both joy and pathos.
Going back to Vladimir Stepanov’s original notations has brought forth something stimulating and rich in choreographic detail, not a dusty museum piece to be glanced at and put away again.