When the Saint Petersburg National Ballet Theatre returns to Singapore on 16 October 2025 with its staging of Swan Lake, it will be a chance to watch prima ballerina Oksana Bondareva take on one of ballet’s most iconic roles.
Known for her technical brilliance and emotional depth, the 38-year-old Ukrainian has been a principal dancer and soloist with eminent dance companies such as the Russian National Ballet, Mikhailovsky Theatre and Mariinsky Theatre, appearing in leading roles in classics such as Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet and of course, Swan Lake.
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She plays the dual role of Odette and Odile, one of ballet’s most challenging roles because it demands great focus and stellar technique to portray two diametrically opposite characters. “Odette is soft, fragile, and full of hope. Odile is sharp, powerful, and seductive. For me, the challenge is to switch quickly between them, so that the audience sees two very different women,” she shares. “Every Swan Lake feels new. We keep the beauty of Tchaikovsky’s music and [Marius] Petipa’s choreography, but in our version, we focus more on the emotions and inner lives of the characters.”
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Set to Tchaikovsky’s timeless score, Swan Lake is the tale of Prince Siegfried, who falls in love with Odette, a princess cursed to live as a swan by day. Tricked into pledging himself to Odile, the daughter of sorcerer Rothbart, Siegfried betrays Odette. “It tells a universal story—love, betrayal, hope, good and evil,” says Bondareva.
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Central to her portrayal is her chemistry with dance partner Ivan Sitnikov, who plays Prince Siegfried. “It’s essential that we trust each other and feel each movement, so the love story looks real,” she says. “We study the music, the story, and try to live inside the characters, not just dance steps.” She wants Singaporean audiences to appreciate not just the technical flourishes—“the fouettés, the jumps, and the expressiveness of the hands”—but also for the way the corps de ballet brings raw feeling to the stage. “Notice the costumes, lights and set design. But most of all, watch how the dancers show real emotions—love, fear, and betrayal.”
Despite the grandeur of the production, what she hopes the audience will take away is simple and heartfelt. “I want them to feel the beauty of ballet, the magic of Tchaikovsky’s music, and also the sadness of the love story. I hope they leave inspired and touched by the performance.”
Swan Lake plays on 16 October 2025, 7:30PM, at The Star Theatre. Tickets available on SISTIC.