I suppose the question is really, where are you based, are you likely to see anyone better locally, and how high are your standards?

Based on their Swan Lake production, I'd say that if you can get to see BRB, ENB or even St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre's production you'll get much better dancing and a better production. The orchestra (about 25?) started off pretty badly, although they got better (but not that much better) as the evening progressed. I wasn't particularly taken with the principals I saw, although there was a very nice dancer in the pas de trois, who I suspect may have been a principal on her "night off". The standard of the male dancing has improved since I last saw them maybe five years ago (pretty abysmal then), but still lags behind the females. I thought some of the publicity claimed that it was a company of 65 or so, but now suspect that may include the orchestra as well. Oddly enough, for Russian-trained dancers I found quite a lot of them unusually stiff and lacking in the grand manner for a classical ballet such as Swan Lake.

(Oh, and as far as the production goes, it has the most intrusive and irritating Jester I've ever seen. I wondered why the Queen didn't give Siegfried a crossbow for his birthday as in most productions - she obviously didn't want him up on a murder charge!)

You'll appreciate from the above that I didn't particularly enjoy it, although that doesn't necessary mean that you won't. Just don't expect as high standards as in some other companies. Oh, and if you're equidistant between performances of MCB's and St.PBT's Swan Lakes, I'd recommend the latter.

I know I keep banging on about this, but I am always amazed at at what makes a ballet audience. Behind me were 5 guys, in age ranging from 35 to 65, who obviously worked together. Where did they come from, what made them want to see ballet? Who sent them? But, bless them, they loved it.