This gala concert brought us 50 dancers and 35 musicians on full form. What a treat! Never have I seen this company more relaxed or on top of its game.

The Russian repertoire, pioneered by the likes of Petipa and Tchaikovsky, often gets bad press among ballet cognoscenti. Its mixture of fairytale castles, taffeta and tutus is thought old-fashioned.

But in a telegraphic swoop across much of Russian ballet's canon, this young and technically brilliant company proved that their heritage was anything but fusty.

As the curtain swathed up on the first magical set - classic trompe l'oeuil landscape, icy blues and life-size swans swimming on a ribbon of silver river - I was at once bewitched.

Anna Podlesnaya danced Odette-Odile with an angular grace and vulnerability which showed just how this ballet captured men's hearts.

Act two opened with the company's star, Irina Kolesnikova. What marks her out isn't only her mastery of the footwork or her charisma, it's her talent for communication. Everything she does implies a relationship, even when dancing solo. It's as if the stage and air were her partners.

Her extract from Swan Lake with Oleg Kharyutkin was followed by the delicious pas de deux from Harlequinade. I love seeing ballet turned comic, and the melodramatic gestures of poor, heartbroken Harlequin over his Columbine were so light and frothy they made you float on air.

The act ended with the dynamic display jumps from Don Quixote, with every footfall in perfect balance.

The night ended with Paquita. The stage was a twirl of red velvet with white trimming and the chorus work shone as all on stage worked us up to the final Encore.

What an event. With the company dancing this well, don't miss their Nutcracker this week.