A NIGHT FOR FANS: HOLLYWOOD HYPE, GLAMOUR OF BALLET : OLGA CHENCHIKOVA, EVGENY NEFF IN KIROV ‘SWAN LAKE’ AT SHRINE

Beyond obvious technical authority and brooding Kirov style, Olga Chenchikova’s Odette/Odile in “Swan Lake,” Thursday in Shrine Auditorium, revealed something rarer: a pure, uncompromising faith in the inherent expressive power of classical dance.

Instead of imposing histrionic effects on her dancing, Chenchikova illuminated the choreography from within, carefully modulating her dynamics and linking her phrases in the “white” acts to achieve an extraordinary, soulful fluidity.

This remarkably sustained, almost liquid flow of dancing defined her conception of Odette as a character: a woman floating through a void, without freedom of action and without hope.

Majestic more than vulnerable, this Swan Queen dominated the corps both by sheer presence and by the quality of her execution: nearly every step effortlessly produced and gorgeously polished.

As Odile, however, Chenchikova abandoned smoothness to emphasize movement discontinuities--sudden changes of direction, for example--that made her seem a restless, wayward predator.

Often merely an academic display when danced by other ballerinas, the lilting solo dead-center in the Black Swan pas de deux found Chenchikova still in character. Those sharp foot-spasms could have been nobody else’s bourrees but Odile’s, and the celebrated fouettes in the coda that followed also had a dangerous edge and a demonic drive.

If, ultimately, Chenchikova didn’t break your heart, it may not have been primarily her fault. After all, “Swan Lake” is structured around Siegfried: The first scene depicts his coming of age, the next, his quest, the one after that his dilemma and betrayal, etc.

Thus, even though his dancing opportunities are limited (especially in this version), Siegfried to a great extent determines our emotional response to the ballet and our involvement in its central relationships.

On Thursday, Evgeny Neff never seemed worthy of such a responsibility--or such an Odette/Odile. Dramatically, he achieved nothing but a generalized insipidity. For instance, the dopey smile he wore after he ripped off Rothbart’s wing looked identical to the one that had greeted his mother’s birthday gift, and he always seemed more intimidated than enraptured by Chenchikova.

Neff executed air turns neatly and partnered diligently, but his undistinguished jumps, rough landings, effortful lifts and occasional problems with placement raised new questions about current standards of Kirov cavalier development.

Except for Chenchikova and Neff, the cast Thursday remained unchanged from the Wednesday “Swan Lake,” previously reviewed in these pages.