When the Mariinsky has come to London, it has mostly visited the Opera House. The company, formerly the Kirov, is very big and very grand and fits right in with the red plush of Covent Garden. There were a few ruffled feathers when it announced it was dancing at Sadler’s Wells for the first time but only until we heard it was with two new-ish mixed bills by William Forsythe and George Balanchine rather than a Swan Lake or Sleeping Beauty.

I say new-ish, because the Mariinsky has been dancing Forsythe and Balanchine for a couple of years, not least at the Opera House in 2005. It is true that they discovered them later than most but we overlook this as their dancers are so good.

But the Mariinsky’s first new-ish mixed bill devoted to William Forsythe was disappointing. People think the American dance-maker is easy, just an exaggerated ballet class, with lots of forced-back arms and high-kicking legs. His drastic classicism is, of course, very difficult, not only the steps but also their stealthy, almost vulpine quality. A Forsythe ballet like In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated should remind you of pack animals, and leave you slightly hunted.

Little of this came across from the Mariinsky. The reason is that most of the dancers on this visit are relatively junior (soloists and corps, rather than principals), and don’t have the technique or sophistication a Forsythe ballet needs. In the Middle, for example, was created for the French über-ballerina Sylvie Guillem whose technique and sophistication could crush porphyry.

Also faring badly was The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, which looked wooly and harried at the same time. Steptext was better, and Approximate Sonata came closer to the excitement of seeing the Mariinsky dance it at the Opera House a couple of years ago.

This mixed bill is the first in the Sadler’s Wells Forsythe season-long retrospective. Hopefully the rest will better convey the choreographer’s importance.

Forsythe Programme, tonight only. Balanchine/Ratmansky Programme, Wednesday and Thursday (0844 412 4300, www.sadlersells.com)