After a succession of mixed-media African shows, hi-tech flamenco and catwalk tango, we've grown used to "foreign" dances being glitzily packaged for the stage. So much so that the modesty of this programme - Rumbadelica - looks at first almost gauche. The stage is bare, the lighting basic and the costumes so lacking in designer spin they could have come from the performers' wardrobes at home.
But the Cubans are proud of their dance and it's part of their considerable charm that they don't tart it up for international consumption. This national folk company was formed in 1962 as a repository for the island's cultural heritage, and one of the real pleasures of the show is how much, and how effortlessly, it teaches us.
The first half progresses from late 19th-century son though to the rumba - and reveals how intricate the chemistry was between Hispanic and African influences. Within a single song the long ululating phrases of flamenco are heard alongside the high chirruping calls of Africa, while African percussion is overlaid with plangent Spanish guitar. The dance looks almost postmodern in its mix. The delicate hip gyrations and choppy syncopations of African dance mesh with the arched Spanish torso and majestical flouncing of flamenco skirts; when US swing enters the mix it produces the rumba.
On Thursday the audience was noisily appreciative of the snappy rumba that closed Rumbadelica's first half, as it was of an amazing male duet that resembled an early form of body popping. Yet in other numbers the mood remained muted. Though we didn't need glitz we did crave more blatant virtuosity; during the fast half some dancers proved disappointingly mediocre while the stars had too few opportunities to dazzle in choreography that was often studiously plain.
After the interval, the mood changed radically, as the focus switched to the older ritualised dances imported from Africa. These were much more theatrical in their use of costume and in their performance, with dancers passionately entering the bodies of trance-induced acolytes or mutating into rebellious slaves. These African dances may not have been what fashionable Cuba aficionados came to see (they're a far cry from salsa and the Buena Vista Social Club) but they were a powerful reminder of how much older and wilder Cuba is than the tourist destination currently topping travel agents' lists.
• Until February 13 (box office: 0171-863 8000) then De Montfort Hall, Leicester, on February 14
