SWAN Lake follows the story of Prince Siegfried, heir to the kingdom, who is told he must declare a wife at his birthday ball.

Upset that he cannot marry for love, he escapes into the forest at night and chases a flock of swans flying overhead.

When one comes into view, he aims his crossbow but stops and stands in wonder at the beautiful elegant creature before the pair dance on the lake and fall in love.

A series of battles then ensues between Siegfried and the evil kidnapping sourcerer von Rothbart - fought out in the form of dance.

News Shopper: Swan Lake is 134 years old

The Moscow City Ballet put on an incredible show with the undoubted star of the show, swan Queen Odette, singled out for a standing ovation as she soaked up the applause at the end of a wonderful evening.

Her 30 second burst of pirouettes after the interval triggered a mid-scene boom of applause as did the battle between Siegfried and von Rothbart - fought out to the tune of the famous Song of the Swans crescendo.

The 27-piece orchestra was in equally good form and played out Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake score to perfection at the front of Bromley's Churchill Theatre.

But the key to this overall stage performance was the elegance of the swan scenes rather than the drama and power of Siegfried's mood swings.

More than 30 dainty tiny swans glided across the stage with impeccable and seemingly effortless timing.

Swan Lake is 134-years-old and luckily for us the royal swan is a protected species - meaning this fantastic stage show could easily survive another 134 years.