I visited Richmond Theatre for an evening of glamour and escapism at the ballet.

The ballet I was lucky enough to see was Swan Lake, but on Saturday, January 13 and Sunday, January 14, the Nutcracker will be on stage with tickets still available.

It was my first time setting foot inside of Richmond Theatre, and I have to say I was truly wowed.

The interior was just as, if not more, beautiful that any West End theatre I have visited before.

There is rich, red velvet everywhere giving the building a luxurious feel and the “R” for Richmond embossed onto the curtains was a timeless homage to the borough the theatre is based in.

Swan Lake itself was breath-taking, I was transported away from London for an evening and taken into the world.

Assel Askarova, who danced Odette/Odile, stole the evening for me.

She was faultless and captivating, whenever she was on stage I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her.

Even though there is no dialogue in ballet, I could tell exactly what her characters were thinking and feeling.

Her movements were so elegant and light, making everything look incredibly easy and her chemistry with Azamat Askarov (Prince Siegfried) was amazing.

It felt as if the pair had become one when they were dancing together, moving seamlessly through lifts and turns and their emotion when together was truly moving.

The costumes are stunning, with blush pink dresses, white tutus and black feathers all around.

For those who don’t know, Swan Lake follows a Prince who has come of age.

His mother holds a party for him and invites princesses from across Europe, encouraging him to choose one to marry.

However, he is not interested in this so he heads out into the woods with a crossbow to go hunting instead.

This is when he stumbles across a group of swans on the lake who are actually maidens who have been cursed by Rothbart.

He falls in love with Odette, Queen of the cursed swans, and promises to break the curse.

When returning to the castle, everyone is excited that the Prince has chosen a bride but Rothbart intervenes in disguise and brings an evil Odile to him instead.

At first, the Prince is fooled because they look so alike (these parts are performed by the same ballerina), but when he realises he flees to find Odette.

But, their love is triumphant in the end and after Rothbart and the Prince battle and Rothbart loses, the Prince and Odette are free to live happily ever after.

It is a beautiful story that has been loved for so many years and I can really see why.

Swan Lake had everything for me from moving and dramatic moments, beautiful dancing, stunning costumes and incredible music.

The music is written by Tchaikovsky and represents each part of the ballet so perfectly and each emotion so exactly.

The live orchestra was jaw-dropping and there is nothing like being at the theatre, listening to beautiful music live with ballet on stage in front of you.

For anyone looking for a memorable evening this weekend, I would urge them to head to Richmond Theatre and enjoy the ballet.