BIRMINGHAM Royal Ballet's much anticipated inaugural visit to the Grand Opera House ended on a sour note, as the most dramatic moment was the fall of principal dancer Delia Mathews at the end of a polished performance in the first of what should have been three stunning ballets.

A dazed Mathews was carried off stage and after a longer than published interval, the director of dance emerged to confirm that Mathews was unable to perform her leading role in the middle ballet Kin, leaving the evening without its contrapuntal dramatic centrepiece.

Beautifully choreographed and costumed, the initial ballet Les Rendezvous had given the impression of a lightness of subject and delicacy of staging that belied the difficulty of the moves and the confines of the small stage.

It was followed by the infinitely engaging and entertaining Elite Syncopations, a series of dances where the dramatic and comedic talents of the dancers were shown to great effect. Joined on stage by a costumed orchestra, this bright and funny performance did much to console the audience for the loss of a third of their evening’s entertainment.

A special mention must go to James Barton and Yijing Zhang for their lovely rendition of The Alaskan Rag, which resulted in gales of laughter and delighted guffaws from the spectators.

We wish Delia Mathews a speedy recovery and hope that she is able to resume the partnership with Brandon Lawrence that provided such a initially graceful and romantic adage des amoureux.