“Isn’t she beautiful,” whispered the little girl behind me as Olesya Novikova pirouetted. No critic could put it better, for Novikova is lovely, a small, neat dancer with both physical intelligence and youthful brio. With Vladimir Shklyarov, Novikova spun through the gossamer gallantry that is Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, not long after she charmed as Polyhymnia in his Apollo.

This features one of the loveliest moments in classical dance, when the young God raises his arms into the shape of Terpsichore’ s lyre. It is a gracious acknowledgement of her inspiration and his gratitude.

One-time Mariinsky dancer Igor Zelensky has wowed us as Apollo from London to New York and St Petersburg but he looked tired and sore-footed last night. There was also a stiffness to his hips and some decided scrappiness in the penultimate fast section.

Not so Ekaterina Osmolkina, whose Terpsichore was elegance and grace. Her namesake Ekaterina Kondaurova gave a gamier performance as the Siren in Prodigal Son in which Balanchine tracks the Biblical story. Some sections, such as the carousing munchkins, look awkward to our eyes but the central duet with the Siren is as potent as ever, something maestro Gergiev encouraged with robust conducting.

Next to these Balachine classics, all else was bound to pale. That befell Alexei Ratmansky, an able dance-maker, whose Middle Duet couldn’t compete with the great choreographer.

Tonight only (0844 412 4300).