Cinderella

Cinderella is a timeless classic; endlessly reinterpreted and imagined since it's folk roots. For ballet, the shoe is an enthralling symbol, one only has to think of The Red Shoes. Emblazoned on the curtain, greeting the audience as we take our seats for tonight's performance is the famous glass slipper.

Sadly, simplicity and emotion were missing from this re-run of Ashley Page's 2005 production. Stylistically the production could not be more different from David Bintley's dark 2010 reworking for Birmingham Royal Ballet. The programme boasts that the design is 'Vivianne Westwood meets eighteenth-century France'. In reality it's more like Tim Burton meets Baz Leuhrmann on a budget.

Dancing in the first scene is scant, and the movement on stage is more akin to a kind of clunky physical theatre. The mood changes when Cinderella herself, danced competently by Sophie Martin is left alone to bemoan her fate. There are several lovely moments of solo proficiency, but the main fault lies with the choreography and Page's insensitivity and indifference to Sergei Prokofiev's beautifully dynamic score.

One of the strengths of the evening is the particularly brilliant playing of by Scottish Ballet Orchestra led by conductor Richard Honner. There is also some excellent dancing, with the Fairy Godmother's entourage performing gracefully yet with a rare vigour, particularly in Tomomi Satos' Spring. One could feel the spirits of the audience lift with her movement, leaving us eager for more.

More comes in the second act, however it exposes an inherent tonal inconsistency in the work. One assumes at first that associations are being made between the lurid design, modern steps and nasty characters, while those in the magical realm dance classically. Suddenly however, in the second act this is brushed aside in favour of a more traditional choreography. This gave the whole piece a disjointed, messy feel and by implication seems a strange slur on contemporary dance. Page's 'revisionist' reign of Scottish Ballet will come to an end next year. May the debate ensue over the place of contemporary styles within Scotland's national ballet company. Undoubtedly it has its place, but tonight's performance was poorly conceived and lazily executed. It has been a turbulent decade for Scottish Ballet, and the ballet world will look on with intrest as Page's successor slips into his shoes.