New York buzz in Edinburgh

Dance is an art form, not a derby. Yet imagine, for a moment, a race to the finish line among the world's major classical dance companies. The thoroughbred Royal Ballet would maintain a correct and steady pace, as the Kirov and Bolshoi run neck-and-neck. The Paris Opera Ballet, the most glamorous filly, would charge ahead fleet and fast. But who would have the inside track? I'd place my bet on New York City Ballet.

They may not be the most precise or unified troupe, but NYCB's dancers probably rank as the strongest, sleekest and swiftest in the business. The justly famous American company takes pride of place on the dance roster of this year's Edinburgh International Festival (13 August to 2 September).

There are several juicy reasons why the three NYCB programmes being presented at the Edinburgh Playhouse constitute not mere performances but a cultural "event". Start with the rarity factor. NYCB hasn't been seen in the UK in 11 years. That's far too long a time. What's more, the company's last Edinburgh appearance was in 1967, a visit that carried both a dramatic charge and the weight of destiny.

At only 48 hours' notice, the regal young Danish dancer Peter Martins was rushed in to replace an injured Jacques d'Amboise for the all-important opening night performance of choreographer (and NYCB cofounder) George Balanchine's Apollo. This last-minute substitution was a resounding success. Three years later, Martins officially joined NYCB. Balanchine subsequently groomed him into one of the greatest male dancers of his generation and heir to the Balanchine throne.

That particular seat was never going to be an easy one to fill. The Russian-born Balanchine was a colossus of 20th century dance. During his 79 years, this gifted man created a catalogue of 425 works. Although Balanchine died in 1983, Martins's careful stewardship since has helped keep the repertoire fresh rather than fossilised. NYCB's Edinburgh bills amount to nothing less than a Balanchine Greatest Hits. The dances range from 1935's Serenade (Balanchine's softest, most lyrical work, set to Tchaikovsky) to Duo Concertant and Symphony in Three Movements, both dating from 1972 and cued to scores by Igor Stravinsky.

Balanchine and Stravinsky viewed their collaborations as a case of hearing the dance and seeing the music. That certainly applies to Agon (1957), where the choreography is as sharp, stripped-down and astringent as the accompanying score.

Balanchine may have provided NYCB with a kinetic cornerstone, but founding choreographer Jerome Robbins (who died in 1998) and Martins himself were no creative slouches. The Edinburgh gigs also feature Robbins's masterpiece Dances at a Gathering (1969), and Martins's pulse-pounding Fearful Symmetries (1990). These dances are proof positive that classical ballet is the opposite of safe, boring or predictable.

The International Festival's strong dance line-up is bracketed by NYCB and all three companies - the main one, the youth and the elders - of Nederlands Dans Theater. In between you can catch the work of Continental experimentalists like Sasha Waltz (German), Emio Greco (Italian), and Mathilde Monnier (French), each with their own take on what the human body can do. And let's not forget that cultural supermarket, the Fringe (6-28 August). This year's dance/physical theatre contingent runs a fleshy gamut, from Latino belly dance and nude Cubans to eroticised Indo-Japanese temple dance and Thai transvestites. Something, no doubt, for everyone.

? Box office: 0131 473 2000; website: www.eif.co.uk