Contact:
Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179; Cell: (740) 464-4854
940 Second Street – Portsmouth, Ohio 45662
E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu 
Web site: www.shawnee.edu

            “Swan Lake,” the most popular of all classical ballets, based on the Russian legend of Odette, the Swan Maiden, and Prince Siegfried, is coming to Portsmouth. It is set to one of Peter Tchaikovsky’s most beloved scores and continues to appeal to young and old alike.
            The Moscow Festival Ballet will be performing Swan Lake at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 8, at Shawnee State University’s Vern Riffe Center for the Arts.
            The Moscow Festival Ballet, under the direction of Sergei Radchenko, has performed this fairy tale story around the world. The ballet company was founded in 1989 when legendary principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet, Sergei Radchenko, sought to realize his vision of a company which would bring together the highest classical elements of the great Bolshoi and Kirov Ballet companies in an independent new company within the framework of Russian classical ballet.
            The swan represents womanhood in its purest form. The stories and legends of swan-maidens date as far back as ancient Greece. “Swan Lake” is Tchaikovsky's first ballet and it is considered by many to be one of the greatest classical ballets of all time, mesmerizing audiences for more than 100 years.
            “Swan Lake” is known for its demanding technical skills, all because of one extremely gifted ballerina, Pierina Legnani. She performed with such grace and discipline, the audience and everyone else who saw her claimed she set the bar.
            Every woman to dance the part of Odette/Odile after her was compared to Legnani's performance. Legnani performed 32 fouettes (a fast whipping turn on one foot) in a row – a move many ballerinas resent because of its extreme difficulty. The prestige that comes with performing “Swan Lake” flawlessly is invaluable.
            For more information, call (740) 351-3600 or e-mail boxoffice@sopaa.org. To purchase tickets, order by phone, go to any Ticketmaster or Kroger’s store or go to the McKinley Box Office in the Selby Grande Lobby of the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts. Hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The ticket price is $30 to $34 each with discounts for students and seniors.