BY GEORGE, GERSHWIN'S GOT RHYTHM!

Mikhail Baryshnikov was once said to have commented that the most seductive quality in a person was talent.

But, when you also have youth, sex appeal and a dash of excitement in your armoury, the effect s'wonderful, as George Gershwin might have put it had he been watching Northern Ballet's I Got Rhythm at Leeds Grand Theatre.

Last night this young, vibrant company had so much to be proud of, as they blew the dust off David Nixon's tour de force, originally created more than a decade ago, as a farewell piece for Ballet Met in Columbus, Ohio, during his tenure as artistic director.

If you could have put a copy of the Chicago Tribune into a melting pot, added a dash of Scott Joplin, a hint of Robert Redford from The Sting, and the musical score for Windy City, then you would probably have whipped up the perfect recipe for East coast America at the turn of the 20th century. And that's what they did.

I Got Rhythm is a joyful tribute to the music of George and Ira Gershwin, the New York born brothers who, between them, penned some of the finest music and lyrics of their generation.

Crazy For You is one of the weaker storylines in a musical, but its score? Perfecto! And, placed in the hands - sorry feet - of Northern Ballet, you get all the magic of the music and the power of dance without the twee dialogue from the stage musical.

Ballet dancers are prize fighters, super fit and requiring of so much stamina, so it was sad to see Embraceable You cut after Pippa Moore went over on her ankle shortly before the interval.

Stunning lighting, great costumes, male partings that Brylcreem would have been proud of, and beautiful facial expressions - too many performers let their concentration show through and forget they are performing for hundreds of people - made for a dynamic, sexy, and classy show.

I loved Kevin Poeung and Benjamin's Mitchell's I Got Rhythm and, in plus fours, they looked as if they could have stepped off Moortown golf course a 100 years ago!

Within the theatre profession snobbery abounds at the so-called superiority of West End performers vs those doing the regional tours. Equally there's an amount of nose turning in that the 'Royal' likes to shout its name from the rooftops of Covent Garden.

But Northern Ballet is everything that is professional and perfection.

Last night, as temperatures soared, the dancers kept their cool - just - and if there were any ladies in the audience wondering how to get rid of that persistent cellulite, it's easy; just spend 10 years with Northern Ballet.

It's a cinch buddy!