I HAVE a confession to make: I’ve never been to a ballet before in my life.

I have another confession to make: I’m not what most people would regard as a man of high culture.

In fact, the only cultural highpoint I regularly achieve is watching Champions League football rather than Premiership…after all, they play a lot of games on the continent don’t you know?

So, taking my seat in Poole’s Lighthouse Theatre for a performance by the internationally acclaimed Moscow City Ballet, filled me with a mixture of excitement, mild trepidation and a serious case of ‘I’m not quite sure I belong here.’ However, when the opening notes of the live orchestra sounded and Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker started, all those feelings instantly faded into the night.

And what a night – I am now a ballet convert.

For other ballet virgins out there, I cannot impress enough how much more you’ll get from the performance if you get up to speed with the story beforehand.

So here we go – this enchanting ballet tells the story of Clara’s magical adventure with her Nutcracker Prince, including a visit to the Land of Sweets and the Sugar Plum Fairy.

There are fights between the Nutcracker’s Gingerbread Men and the Mouse-King and his men, and a breathtaking conclusion.

This version, directed by company founder Victor Smirnov-Golovanov, does have, I’ve been told, a few deviances in the story, but I was transfixed nonetheless.

The apparent faultless skill of the dancers, the amazing costumes, a stunning set and that live orchestra combined to make it an unforgettable experience.

So if you’re the type of person who normally shudders at the word ballet, please, please, give it a go.

You might just find the performance, like this one, will blow you away.

Now, what time are the darts on the box?