Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

The Alhambra

Gliding across the stage in graceful synchronicity, the feathered ensemble of Swan Lake was the epitome of classical ballet.

Glistening white tutus? Tick. Perfectly coiffured chignons? Tick. Dainty pink ballet shoes? Tick. Tuft of chest hair creeping out from a lace bodice? Tick.

You probably haven't seen a 6ft hunk of a man dancing en pointe, with the grace and skill of a prima ballerina, until you have seen Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo.

Known as 'the Trocks', this fabulous New York-based all-male company sends up the traditions of classical ballet in a hilarious, affectionate and highly accomplished show.

The 16-strong troupe captures the beauty of ballet, and its absurdity, with breathtaking technique. From the shimmering frailty of of Swan Lake to the fan-clicking passion of Don Quixote, they leave their own mark on international classics - and it's hugely entertaining, whether you're a ballet fan or not.

It works because these guys are classically trained dancers, with a professional understanding of the routines they're performing. They dance en pointe, they pirouette, they're lifted and spun in romantic pas de deux, and it's all done with a deliciously mischievous sense of fun.

With names like Innokenti Smoktumuchsky, Tatiana Youbetyoubootskaya and Vladimir Legupski, these grandes dames of ballet inject wit and parody into the po-faced ensembles of Russian ballet and 19th century dance traditions.

In Swan Lake Act II, the Trocks' signature work, the slapstick and hilarious facial expressions of the swans are the background to a fabulous and faithfully recreated performance by Swan Queen Odette, capturing the grace and poise of any female ballerina, albeit it with the occasional comic grimace.

With the flick of a hand, the toss of a hairpiece and a knowing look, the Trocks pricked the pomposity of ballet with flashes of physical comedy and diva-like upstaging, all the while displaying impressive prowess, style and technical brilliance. They had the Alhambra audience in stitches, sending up the melodrama and cliche of dance in three acts comprising Patterns in Space - a hilariously pompous routine to a bizarre noise accompaniment of rustling paper bags and popping bubble-wrap - Go for Barocco, a fabulously melodramatic Dying Swan and a colourful Don Quixote.

The Riverdance-inspired finale was a hoot.

I took my friend, who had never seen a ballet before. "I'm hooked," she beamed as the Trocks took their bows.

* Runs until tonight (Wednesday, October 28).