37 years on, I've finally realised why I like to visit a dance show.

Cabaret Chordelia, to my great regret, muddied the waters a little at the weekend. Inventive. sassy and cute  and featuring a most beautiful male singer - it was fun but just didn't quite cut it for me. To my great regret as I admire the company much.

Richard Alston's company unmuddied the aforementioned waters nicely.

A pack of beautifully but relatively normally shaped boys and girls in chinos and tea dresses pranking around a (beautifully lit, of course) stage to, first off, a pianist at a grand piano jaunting along with Scott Joplin.

Then we had (I gather) Ravel. And, well,turns out the costumes which were the prettiest pieces of string and sequins I've seen for a long time, were designed by Julian Macdonald. I wish to order the little stringy thing with the red background above for an - as yet unreceived - party invitation. Though I'll need to gain some substantial muscle tone first.

Finally, god only knows what music but the urban counterpart to the slightly more pastoral (though that sounds twee and they weren't) precursors. Very industrial. Madcap it was called. Jeans (though more likely jeggings) and vests. And this - this is how I want my autumn 2013 show to be. Collaborators take note. Though you can't. For Richard et al were on here for one night only.

B S Neill bravo'd once to the first piece, clapped only for the second and both bravo'd and - fancy - hollered to the third. So we all know where his favourites lay.

But what I see at last when it comes to this dance milarkey is that the human body is beautiful.

The body when it's properly exercised is an even finer thing. (Particularly when it's topped off with an adorable tousled haircut such as that modelled tonight by Pierre Tappon.)

The body when it's properly exercised, properly warmed up and pranking around like a pranky thing in love with the idea that it can do All Of This Stuff - and in time with some music to boot - is amazing.

Thanks, Richard.