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Belinda Hately danced an exquisite 'Fille' at yesterday's RB matinee - the best I've seen for years. Hatley seems born for this role, with her creamy jumps and turns, strong yet delicate feet and clean, unforced technique. There's a sort of joyousness and bubbling glamour about her that radiates out over the audience and draws them (or at least me) right into her performance.

But the whole performance yesterday was a joy; everthing was 'right' despite Hatley's Colas, Johann Persson, having some technical difficulties towards the end of Act I (he may possibly have injured himself slightly). Otherwise he was a sunny 'Jack the Lad', a perfect foil for Lise with his cheeky stolen kisses and flashing smile. I think the role of Colas is a real gift for any male dancer with the requisite combination of musicality and tough technique. It's a totally masculine role without a hint of the fey romanticism which puts so many boys off ballet, and it's something of a surprise that the homosexual Ashton created it.

Alistair Marriott was by far the best of the current crop of Widow Simones - his clog dance was accurately on the music and very funny too. I never think the four 'clog girls' get enough credit here - after all, they have to dance in unaccustomed wooden clogs, tap in time, look pretty and support the old widow at the same time. They are never identified in the programme, but I think I recognised Vanessa Palmer in yesterday's performance. Somehow, she's noticeable in everything she does, whether through her dancing or the sheer force of her personality I'm not clear, but either way I think she should be promoted above her present status.

The corps were terrific too, a really happy and natural-looking bunch of villagers given to bursting into dance at the drop of a knotted handkerchief. I loved the male corps in the second-act dance in the widow's kitchen - it's so fiendishly complicated that they really have to concentrate, yet they still managed to look as if they were enjoying themsleves. Edward Watson was the only one I could identify here thanks to his ginger hair, but all the boys were excellent.

Ricardo Cervera was a remarkable Alain. Technically thrilling throughout his performance, he was especially touching on his discovery of Lise and Colas as a couple, falling to his knees in confused disappointment. This is a benchmark point in Ashton's ballet; either you get it or you don't, and if you 'get it' in the way that Ashton wanted you to, you'll almost be in tears. And I was indeed moved by Cervera's lovely performance. As is well known, Ashton created the role of Alain for his partner Alexander Grant, who is now coaching all the current Alains, and it was nice to see the sturdy, upright and dignified Grant collecting his coat beside me at the end of the performance.

Speaking of Grant brings me to a memory of him at the wonderful Ashton conference at the Roehampton Centre in 1994. Forgive me if I've related this before, but Alastair Macauley was giving a lecture 'Gender & sexuality in the ballets of Frederick Ashton' and demonstrating the particular erotic points of Ashton's works with slight arm movements, when there was a disturbance from the floor. It was Alexander Grant, who sailed with the dignity of a duchess onto the stage, seized Macauley's arm and kissed it's underside from the wrist to the shoulder, saying " *he* knew where it was!" before sweeping off the stage and back to his seat, leaving Macauley blushing so pinkly that it was visible from the back of the room!

'Fille' is one of the greatest gems of English ballet and few - if any - of us here can have seen its original Lise, Nadia Nerina; more of us have probably been lucky enough to have seen seen that other incomparable Lise, Lesley Collier. Perhaps every ballerina shines in this most blest of roles, but I think I'll have 'Hatley' carved on my heart.