From an emergent voice to a firmly established voice, we move on to what has become a modern classic from Alexei Ratmansky, whose repertoire is seen far too sparingly in Britain. “Pictures at an Exhibition” premiered eleven years ago, also with New York City Ballet, and has entered the repertoire of a host of major companies, getting the permission for such a small company to do the work is a real testament to what these dancers are capable of. Made up of episodes inspired by Modest Mussorgsky’s original music and watercolours by Wassily Kandinsky, the work paints with every emotional palette. There’s swooning romance, hammy melodrama, there’s even a brilliantly stroppy dance for four ladies, sulking off together like depressed showgirls.

It’s all so palpably joyous, as if Ratmansky just had fun while piecing together each little section. The choreography frequently bounces playfully between the serious and the silly, the awkward and the beautiful. There’s an innocence and wonder to the piece. Though seemingly carefree there is too a great deal of technical wizardry. The partnering is hazardous especially for the women frequently being flung into the air or caught mid-flight. The nippy changes in direction are enough to make your ankles wince. But for the dancers it seems as natural as a fit of giddy dancing. It’s an infectious kind of giddiness that has you wishing to just see it all again, to get that last bit of sunlight that London City Ballet is keeping hidden in the Royal Opera House. This is a company roaring with enthusiasm.