Artistic director Wayne Eagling made his short curtain-raiser Men Y Men to give the boys of English Natiional Ballet some dancing to do during the long tour of Giselle on which they are engaged. Created not for the principal dancers, but for men from the corps de ballet and soloists, the piece shows that there is strength in depth among the company’s men. Dressed only in black trousers, they look good and muscular as they go through the unusual lifts and spins Eagling has crafted, partnering each other with considerable strength. A useful and enjoyable addition to the repertoire.

And so to the main event, Giselle. A company that can field six different couples in the leading roles in one week, all of them highly talented, is to be admired, and they started with a pair who will be hard to surpass. Erina Takahashi’s slender frame makes her perfectly suited to the role of the shy young girl who falls unexpectedly in love with a stranger who has appeared as if from nowhere. Takahashi shows us straightaway that she is as fragile mentally as she is physically; a tragedy waiting to happen. She understands earlier than most Giselle’s that Hilarion’s exposure of Albrecht’s identity is the truth, and enters into a mad scene of gripping emotion. Her dancing throughout is lovely, and very musical in its phrasing, and, as the spirit in Act II, she floats almost weightless through the demanding choreography.

Dmitri Gruzdyev’s Albrecht has developed over the years, and is no longer the heartless seducer who only realises that he loves Giselle after she has died. There are early touches of sensitivity now, and hints that he knows he is playing with fire. As a dancer he did what was required in the first act, but then what fireworks in the great solos of Act II, when he is being forced to dance until he is dead! Approaching the Queen of the Wilis to beg for mercy, he produced three of the most amazing spinning jumps I have seen. Gruzdyev is a powerfully built man, and the athleticism that comes from his Russian training is plain to see.

James Streeter wins our sympathy as Hilarion. He is not the rough diamond of many productions, but a suitable husband for Giselle, who precipitates the tragic events as much through protectiveness as through jealousy.

Finally a word on Kerry Birkett as Zulme, one on Myrtha’s two assistants. A small role not often reviewed, but here we saw a performance that hints at great things to come.

n English National Ballet are at the New Theatre until Saturday.