I like to think of myself as a person who knows what he's talking about when reviewing plays, musicals, films or gigs. But ballet? I've reached the age of thirty-three and Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty , at the New Theatre until Wednesday, is my first ballet. I can't therefore base a review on the technical skills of the dancers, or how it compares to other performances. I can only provide a ballet virgin's opinions and hope two things. If you too have never been, maybe I can inspire you. If you're an old hand, then I hope my naïve musings at least portray the quality of the performance. The first thing is that the plot is easy - we all know Sleeping Beauty (princess is cursed, falls asleep as a result, and is saved by handsome prince). The joy of the experience is the execution and I can happily report that it's wonderful.

Ellen Kent has produced and directed the Chisinau National Ballet from Moldova marvellously. The dancing is a joy to watch. I enjoyed being able to simultaneously enjoy the flowing movements and ponder just how skilled and strong the performers must be to balance, jump, skip, carry and bend in the way they do. The leading cast members stand out, jumping that little bit further, or spinning a little bit faster, and the direction allows the set pieces to build and build to a terrific climax. The wicked fairy Carabosse provides a dark presence amidst the happiness. I did think the costumes and style do make the line between ballet and pantomime rather thin; at the end, when the audience booed Carabosse, the woman sitting next to me tutted in disgust. "It's not a pantomime," she complained. Well, no, but we still feel the same way about the wicked fairy!

The Tchaikovsky score is excellently performed by the orchestra, and the sound quality in the New Theatre is excellent. The violin solo by Igor Ersac is a particular highlight, delicate and powerful.

I was taken aback also by how many people are involved - not only are there the lead dancers, there are also the troupe of dancers with smaller parts. Then there's the orchestra and conductor. And there must be countless stagehands and technical support staff, as well as costumiers for the amazing, elaborate costumes. This scale alone is enough to impress.

My first ballet experience, then? A revelation. I had partly expected it all to be a little preposterous and inaccessible, but the reality was very different. Sleeping Beauty was a warming cocktail of skill, strength, poise, grace, and music that should tempt anyone in from the snowy streets of Oxford this week. If you can't make it to Sleeping Beauty before Wednesday, Swan Lake , which should share its quality execution and production values, is on from Thursday until Saturday.

Andy Cotgreave, 21/02/05