"Independent Weekly"       - Swan Lake - ANNA SOLDING There is no cellulite near Shakti’s 52 year-old bottom and I can’t help but be amazed because there certainly is plenty on my 35 year-old one. The reason I am telling you this is because we see an abundance of bare flesh in Shakti’s highly unusual version of Swan Lake. With the help of a couple of masked side-kicks, Kumiko and Fumiko, Shakti commands the stage as the different incarnations of the swan figure. In white underwear she writhes, and then in dark. At times you feel like you might have mistakenly stepped into a show at the Crazy Horse. However, there are beautiful moments of clarity and good use of a fur coat to illustrate the swan’s wings. Shakti tends to use her arms and hands very effectively in her dance. I loved the bead curtains and think they could have been used even more to illustrate the movements. Tchaikowsky’s music is exquisite, as always, and especially in the very last part of the performance when Vanessa Mae’s strong and unusual interpretation was used, I couldn’t stop myself from ultimately being impressed by the innovative combination of the classical music and the modern dance.

“Danced with utmost precision.  We will never see the ‘dance of the little swans in the same light again.”  (The Herald)   From 1 star to 5 stars - Shakti’s Swan Lake was a hit in the Edinburgh Fringe. Some hated it and others loved it.  But, in any case, it was “the most memorable show in the fringe.”  (3 Weeks)   “We thought swans were sedate creatures - but they are sexy!”  (Daily Mail)   “Not ethnic, not ballet, not butoh, but beyond ….” (3 Weeks - Edinburgh)

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