The entirely charming Soiree in St Petersburg is the last item in the Ballet Ireland Spectacular programme at the Cork Opera House. Choreography by Gunther Falusy offers a series of divertissements which put the talents of this strong company on display, explaining the survival of classical ballet itself in terms of magical, romantic allure.
Apart from this impressive piece which comes with an approximation of a set the programme, while technically splendid, begs the question: is this the right way to experience ballet? Failing anything else the answer must be that it's the only way, but the naked stage, the brief - sometimes very brief - excerpts, the sense of remoteness which comes with recorded music, amount only to a cold demonstration of skill instead of the exciting collaborative creativity which ballet demands. This is not to deny the various pleasures of the programme - the fluidity of the Spanish Dance from Swan Lake, or the same ballet's Grand Pas de Deux, for example - but it is to bemoan the paltry conditions under which they must be witnessed.
Tours to Monaghan tonight, Larne on Wednesday, Belfast on Thursday, Lisburn on Friday, Portadown on Saturday, Newry on October 12th, the National Concert Hall, Dublin, October 13th, Ballyearl on October 14th, Limerick on October 15th, Ennis on October 16th, and the National Concert Hall, Dublin again on October 17th. They will return to Ireland following a UK tour.
First performances of works in the John Field Room of the National Concert Hall, by Vincent Doherty, Roger Doyle and Daniel Figgis will be tonight at 8.30 p.m., and not tomorrow as erroneously stated in Saturday's Weekend arts guide.