St Petersburg Ballet Theatre, Swan Lake, London Coliseum

Not to be mistaken for the great Russian companies, Bolshoi and Mariinsky, the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre is a touring company and a regular visitor to these shores.

Built around the talent of its prima ballerina, Irina Kolesnikova, the company specialises in the crowd-pulling hardy perennials, with Swan Lake very much top of the list.

A misguided attempt last year to go left field and present a contemporary version of Carmen set in a Balkans refugee camp was universally panned; so, for this tour the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre opted to stand on much safer ground.

Apart from Kolesnikova, a tall, technically accomplished dancer, for this Coliseum residency the company will be joined by a number of exciting Russian guests, including Yulia Stepanova, Denis Rodkin and the truly exceptional Kimin Kim.

You know the story: evil sorcerer von Rothbart turns a number of young women into swans; melancholy prince Siegfried meets the Swan Queen, Odette, swears eternal love which should break the spell, but is deceived by the sorcerer’s daughter Odille into betraying Odette. This being a Russian production, true love will conquer evil and Odette and Siegfried will dispatch von Rothbart and live happily ever after – presumably.