ANNA Fedosova, principal dancer with the Russian State Ballet of Siberia, will be appearing in Swindon in Swan Lake. The company will be performing Cinderella, Romeo & Juliet, The Snow Maiden, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. Here Anna answers a Q and A for the Adver before coming to Swindon.

You are based in Krasnoyarsk but where were you born?

I was born in Perm, the oldest Russian city in the Western Urals

At what age did you start dancing and when did you join the Russian State Ballet of Siberia?

I started dancing at the age of 10 when I went to ballet school. I joined the Russian State Ballet of Siberia two years ago after graduating from the ballet school.

When you are at your Krasnoyarsk base, what does your working day consist of?

I get up at 8am, get myself ready for work, have a little breakfast and go to theatre. I start training for about one hour and then rehearsals start. I have a break in the middle of the day and then again rehearsals.

How many hours sleep do you like to get?

Usually I need 8 hours to get good sleep.

What kind of diet do you have to keep fit?

I do not eat too many sweets and pastries.

What do you do to relax in your spare time?

I prefer to relax resting at home and reading magazines, also I try to get more sleep if I can. I like to walk by the river bank when I have spare time.

Have you toured the UK before – if so how many times and what do you like about British culture?

I toured once in UK and I liked to be in England very much. I do not know much about British culture but everything I have seen was very advanced and versatile.

Can you describe what a typical day on tour involves…?

I get up early in the morning and have my breakfast which I prepare the day before. I get dressed and go for a walk. Then I travel to theatre and start doing ballet class, after that there is rehearsals, a short time to get ready for the performance and then the show starts.

Will you be performing in all the ballets on the tour andDo you have a particularly favourite role and if so why?

Yes, I will be performing in all ballets on the tour and my favourite is Swan Lake, because this is the most beautiful and the most elegant role for ballerina. Every little ballet girl dreams to dance this character in her career.

How long does it take you to prepare for a performance and do you have a specific warm-up and warm-down procedure before and after each performance?

Normally I need half an hour to warm myself up before going on stage and I do warm up in my special way, flexing and stretching legs and arms. I also need to keep my muscles warm between rehearsals and between show acts and for that I use wool warmers and sweaters.

Apart from the UK tour how many months are spent on tour inside and outside Russia and which other countries have you visited?

I did not travel much in my life, I think everything is still ahead, I visited Turkey and Bulgaria recently and I had a great time there with my friends.

What is the highlight of your career so far?

I think this is it, my role as Odile in Swan Lake, everyone says that I am the best.

If you hadn’t become a ballerina which other profession do you think you would have gone for?

I think I could be a nurse or a doctor, because I feel compassion for people who suffer from illness.

Any useful advice you can give to young ballet dancers here in the UK?

I wish to all young ballet dancers to fall in love with dancing, with everything you do on stage and then the audience will definitely fall in love with you.