Britain awaits Saint Petersburg Ballet Theatre

Irina Kolesnikova, lead dancer of the Saint Petersburg Ballet Theatre, who last summer won three medals - one gold and two silver - at international competitions, will again lead the company on its tour of the United Kingdom. The 12-week tour begins in London November 25. For the tour, the company will dance 'The Nutcracker,' 'Swan Lake,' 'Sleeping Beauty' and 'Giselle.' The tour ends in Norwich on February 14.

The Saint Petersburg Ballet Theatre was founded in 1994 by Konstantine Tatchkin. It is made up of young dancers, all graduates of the Vaganova school in Saint Petersburg, as well as prize-winning soloists of international competitions. They have toured throughout the world.

Kolesnikova won the Natalia Makarova prize for pas de deux at this year's Perm competition; at Varna, one of the most famous of all competitions, she won silver, and at Prague she won gold.