When I wrote that performances of full-length classical ballets in this region were on the sparse side, I hardly expected myself to be sitting in front of another a mere two weeks later - and the same one!

But you can never see too many Swan Lakes, and the aptly-named Worcester Swan Theatre is another that hosts too few professional productions of this kind.

This time was the turn of Ballet Russe, the classical ballet company of Wales, in a pared down, yet traditional version of the story.

Like the Malvern stage, Worcester's is just not big enough for the vast corps de ballet traditionally required by Swan Lake and so this version sensibly had half the number usually seen - although, unusually, the Odette/Odile role was split between two dancers.

The young company acquitted itself well, with some tight formation from the ensemble pieces but, while beautifully executed, the dancing did seem lacking in emotion, especially against the backdrop of Tchaikovsky's sweeping and powerful music.

Juliette Kemp