THE devil makes work for idle hands, particularly in pre-revolutionary France where pampered privilege combined with decadence to create a bloated elite, ripe for plucking.

Out of this pungent soil, the 18th century French novelist Pierre Choderlos de Laclos tilled his masterpiece, written in letter form, which inspired the memorable 1988 film starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich.

His cynical and detached analysis of personal and sexual relationships has now been transformed into a wonderful ballet by choreographer David Nixon, artistic director of the excellent Northern Ballet Theatre.

He uses classical ballet to articulate the genteel faade of arched etiquette and then, utilising the boldness of contemporary dance, strips away this social veneer to reveal the destructive emotions of pride, anger, envy, fear and hate.

Add to this live music by Vivaldi, extravagant costumes and a sumptuous set of chandeliers and chaises longues where the characters emerge and disappear through mirrors, and you have a magnificent monument to lust, guilt and duplicity.

Marquise de Merteuil is the epitome of cruelty, bathing in luxurious thoughts of others suffering. Actress Patricia Doyle, the narrator, plays her as an embittered crone looking back on her wicked life. Her younger self, the dancer Victoria Lane Green, pirouettes while plotting the emotional destruction of others.

This ballet is a sensual delight.

Dangerous Liaisons, Northern Ballet Theatre, York Theatre Royal, Saturday, June 18 at 2.30pm and 8pm. Box office: 01904 623568

Updated: 10:31 Saturday, June 18, 2005