Swan Queen delayed by visa trouble

Visa red tape has dashed English National Ballet’s plans to open its gigantic arena Swan Lake with the scheduled Russian star Polina Semionova. The 26-year-old ballerina from Berlin Ballet was much acclaimed on her debut with ENB in the production six years ago, and her return was expected to make a big splash for ENB’s summer blockbuster, marking the company’s 60th anniversary. But as the swans flock into the Kensington arena, Ms Semionova will still be in the air flying in from Berlin.

ENB’s own beauteous Daria Klimentova will lead the swans tonight instead, partnered by another much-anticipated young debutant, Vadim Muntagirov, a 20-year-old who joined ENB from the Royal Ballet School and is being groomed by ENB as a new star. Muntagirov will have his intended star back on his arm next Tuesday, all being well. Visa complications involved the fact that Semionova is Russian, working in Germany, and was flying to Britain from Japan. ENB say today: "We hope to have her tonight, to rehearse tomorrow and over the weekend. Her first show will be Tuesday."

The in-the-round Swan Lake, produced by Derek Deane with 60 swans instead of the more usual 24, traditionally opens with a big overseas guest star - past opening-night ballerinas have included the Bolshoi’s Svetlana Zakharova and the Kirov’s Altynai Asylmuratova.

Semionova will be back in London in July performing a more orthodox Swan Lake with the Mikhailovsky Ballet at the Coliseum 13-25 July.

• ENB's Swan Lake is at the Royal Albert Hall, London till19 June - buy tickets

Below: Polina Semionova (photo Enrico Nawrath) and Daria Klimentova - pictures courtesy ENB: