State Ballet of Georgia Brings New Swan Lake to London

The State Ballet of Georgia returns to the London Coliseum July 17–26 with a brand-new staging of Swan Lake, restaged by artistic director Nina Ananiashvili and choreographer Alexey Fadeechev.

The production had its world premiere in Tbilisi, Georgia, on May 21. It features over 300 new costumes designed by Cyrille Gassiline and hand-painted backdrops by set designer David Monavardisashvili. All 12 London performances will be accompanied by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.

Two years ago, the company made its London debut during its 175th anniversary, performing what Ananiashvili describes as one of its trademark productions: Swan Lake. This year's tour brings the refreshed version instead.

"When we staged our first Swan Lake, it was 20 years ago," Ananiashvili tells Pointe by phone from Tbilisi. "That production was very successful, but I decided I wanted to have new sets and costumes. And then I thought, Well, if we do that, let's change the content, too!"

She and Fadeechev have aimed to make this version more "fairy-tale–like," with a focus on clarity of story. The ballet now opens with a prologue to set the scene, and the ending has changed as well — an update Ananiashvili encourages audiences to discover for themselves. "Because it's a new Swan Lake, I think London audiences will think it's interesting. It's really a little surprise for them."

Ananiashvili knows the classic intimately. As a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, she gained acclaim for her own performances in it. She considers the ballet the measure of any classical company, which made bringing it back to London an obvious choice. "If you dance Swan Lake very well, that means the company level is very high," she says. "Our corps de ballet of swans—everywhere we go, we get so many compliments. More compliments than when I was dancing it!"

Casting for the London run splits Odette/Odile among the company's Nino Samadashvili, Mariam Lomjaria and Anastasia Miliachenko, plus American Ballet Theatre principal Chloe Misseldine, who previously guested with the company during its 2024 London tour. Their Siegfrieds are Lorenzo Lodi, Filippo Montanari, Daler Zaparov and, from Lithuanian National Ballet, guest artist Oleg Ligai.

Swan Lake demands a large corps, so a significant portion of the State Ballet of Georgia roster will travel to London. Even so, many dancers will double or triple up on roles, some performing in all four acts. "Touring is always, always very hard for dancers," Ananiashvili says. "But somehow we manage to do it—and well."

Ahead of the tour, she looks forward to seeing old friends in the city and remains confident in audiences' appetite for the classics. "People love classical ballet!" Given strong ticket sales in 2024 and the company's familiarity with the venue this year, she expects to enjoy this second London visit more than the first.

"There's so much long-term preparation, then it's over so quickly, and we don't enjoy it enough. That's what happened in 2024. So to be going back is wonderful. I hope to return after another two years."