ONE of the most popular and most spoofed ballets around, Swan Lake, comes to The Anvil next week.

Tschaikovsky's Swan Lake tells the classic story of the love of Prince Siegfried and Odette, Queen of the Swans.

The story of the princess who has been turned into a swan and the prince who falls in love with her was adapted from a German fairytale.

Ironically, given its popularity today, it was badly-received when it premiered at Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre in 1877.

These days, however, it is estimated that one in every ten ballets performed in Russia is Swan Lake, and almost every professional ballet company the world over has performed its own version of the famous Act II.

The ballet will be performed at The Anvil by the Moscow Ballet Company, with several world-renowned soloists, including Evguenia Novikova and Igor Stetsiour-Mova taking to the stage.

The Anvil, Basingstoke, Thursday November 14 to Saturday November 16. Performance: 7.45pm. Box office: 01256 844244.