The charm of a «vintage» antiquity is incredible: it breezes a special, incomparable flavor of time and is truly endowed with an almost invincible appeal.

The ballet about a poorly guarded daughter roams around the world scenes for more than two centuries: when a Bordeaux company was preparing the premiere of «La Fille mal gardée», the Bastille in Paris was just about to be stormed. Since then both music and choreography have changed many times, but the cheerful and a bit piquant spirit of the rural comedy remained unchanged making this performance a rare and always welcome guest for every ballet stage.

So, the widow Marceline wants her daughter Lisa to marry a rich, but dimwitted farmer’s son. Helas, the stubborn daughter is in love with a nice-looking peasant Colas. And in the most crucial moment — oooups! — the mother finds lovers together…

The production by the Yekaterinburg Ballet is a fine mix of reconstruction and stylization: according to the original notations Sergei Vikharev has restored the choreography of Petipa’s version staged in St. Petersburg in 1885, while the decoration and costumes look as if in the same year the Directorate of Imperial Theaters ordered the design of the production to Vincent Van Gogh.