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Those of us who attended the Royal Ballet Masterclass at the Linbury Studio last evening got a big surprise!

We were expecting a masterclass on MacMillan's Romeo & Juliet (and some of us were perhaps secretly hoping to get a preview of Ed Watson and Lauren Cuthbertson preparing for their debuts as R & J)...BUT.... instead we got a Masterclass on Mayerling with Alina Cojocaru and Martin Harvey. I was on cloud nine for the rest of the evening!

Alina and Martin were coached by Donald MacLeary with Paul Stobart at the piano. I have seen quite a few of these Masterclasses now but every other one has been coached by one of the Royal Ballet's Russian staff or guest ballet masters. Their approach is to stop the dancers after almost every phrase to provide coaching for instant repetition of the move. MacLeary was much more laid back which meant that the dancers were able to run through the two pdd completely before re-marking the steps with a commentary from Donald. Much of what he said was enhanced by rferences to a class given by Lynn Seymour earlier in the day.

The two pdd chosen were the first secret meeting between Rudolf and Mary in the Prince's apartments in Act II Scene 5 and the final pdd in Act III Scene 3 leading up to the point where Rudolf shoots Mary.

Martin Harvey is providing cover for Johan Kobborg in case he is unable to perform on Friday, 19 March. It seems as if it is still in the balance whether or not he will be recovered by then. So Martin is taking a 'crash course' in performing one of the most physically taxing roles in ballet! He has rehearsed it before as cover during the last run but this was only his second rehearsal with Alina - he said that he had watched tapes of her performance with Johan so that he could fit into Johan's interpretation of the role.

With several days to go, Martin looks well on top of the role on the evidence of these two crucial pdd and he clearly has the strength necessary to carry out the immense demands MacMillan's choreography requires of Rudolf. By the time he dances the first intensely passionate pdd with Mary, who sets the scene for this first private meeting by revealing that she has come to him in a coat which conceals a flimsy nightdress, he has already danced very physical pdd with six other women!

Alina was a delight. She somehow manages to be both very humble and attentive whilst retaining the essential dignity of the ballerina, even in these circumstances. I particularly loved the way that she gave due respect to the pianist by greeting him and escorting him to centre stage after the class, exactly as if it had been a performance. There was very little to comment upon in her performance and yet she remained utterly attentive to the coach and clearly soaked up everything he said. It was also clear that she was very confident with Martin as a partner.

Donald MacLeary's coaching often concentrated upon the dramatic interpretation with exhortations to Martin to 'get physical straight away' and to indicate more clearly the pain of his devastating headache in the first pdd. In the final pdd the emphasis was entirely on the pair's escalating madness. Given the complexity of the steps and lifts in both pdd, I was surprised how few technical corrections were required, particularly for Martin in view of the steep learning curve he is on, and how quickly gliches were modified in the second complete run-throughs. Martin said that he might get 4 out of 20 right in the second run of the first pdd but I think he managed to correct almost everything asked of him.

I am very keen to see Johan as Rudolf again following his towering performances from last year but it is SUCH a demanding role that I guess we should not be surprised if Martin has to stand in for him. On last night's evidence, that - in itself - will be something to look forward to.