A masterclass in stage presence from the Bolshoi

Jewels is everything a George Balanchine admirer could ask for. The sumptuous triptych, set to scores by Fauré, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky, is a compendium of what Balanchine’s style is about; each part — Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds — provides unique insights into the subtleties, signature features and inventiveness that inform the art of the Russian master who fathered American ballet.

Yet on these shores Jewels is seldom a sell-out production. Unless, of course, it is danced by the Bolshoi Ballet. Comparisons are odious, but seasoned dance-goers could not help noticing that, on Monday, the Royal Opera House was packed to the brim. The lure of the exotic, the hype of the advertising campaign, and the fact that the tourist season is at its peak are factors that cannot be discounted; but there is also word of mouth and, more particularly, the word of mouth of discerning ballet-goers.

I could not agree more with them. As soon as the curtain went up on each section, people gasped with excitement, as they were confronted with a masterclass in stage presence, something that the majority of western dance teachers, repetiteurs and coaches seem to have forgotten or simply ignore. There is also aesthetic consistency: each initial grouping abides strictly by the rules of what ballet is and should be, no matter how un-PC these are in the eyes of some (and, let’s face it, ballet, like sport, is un-PC by default).

There is not, in other words, that mismatched array of forms and shapes one has to put up with in other and more familiar corps de ballet. Nor is there any slacking in theatrical tension. Everyone on stage, down to the last chorus girl, comes across as vibrantly involved, as if he or she were the true star of the moment.