Les Saisons Russes du XXI Siecle: Cléopâtra – Ida Rubinstein

Former Bolshoi Ballet star Andris Liepa brings a selection of work to London under the banner of the 'Les Saisons Russes', his twenty-first century equivalent of the Ballets Russes. He is, however, no Diaghilev. The headline show is a new one, 'Cléopâtra – Ida Rubinstein', by choreographer Patrick de Bana, based on the story of charismatic and glamorous socialite Ida Rubinstein, who persuaded (or bought) her way onto the stage with the Ballet Russes. The costumes are fantastic, but from what Time Out has seen, the performances and choreography are weak. The rest of the programme changes each night, with different revivals of Mikhail Fokine ballets from the early twentieth century, including 'Le Spectre de la Rose' and 'The Firebird' (July 16, 17), 'Chopiniana' (July 17 mat, July 20), 'Scheherazade' (July 18, 19) and 'Polovetsian Dances' (July 20).