Artiste: Alexei Repnikov

With Contrasts, the Mariinsky dancers are put under a multifaceted microscope. 

How does one condense a Tolstoy epic for the stage? In Anna Karenina, choreographer Alexei Ratmansky focuses on the three central characters, filleting the novel to its bare essentials. 

The Mariinsky dances Swan Lake beautifully, but the drama lacks characterisation. Performed at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, in Japan.