Sergei Polunin will replace David Hallberg in the performances of Alexei Ratmasky’s The Sleeping Beauty at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala.

Polunin will partner Svetlana Zakharova for three performances on 26 September, 2 and 6 October, and will share the stage with Massimo Murru who will dance Carabosse for those performances. It was Polunin who stepped into Hallberg’s shoes for performances of Giselle last May, again at La Scala, when he scored a notable success with the Milanese public as a partner for Natalia Osipova.

While it is sad that the theatre will not be welcoming Hallberg back after his thrilling Swan Lake with Zakharova last year, La Scala have certainly come up trumps engaging once again one of the most exciting and fascinating talents in ballet today.