Right of reply: Simon Glass, the producer of Washington Ballet, answers the critics

THERE were elements of criticism which were founded. I don't think the dancing was quite as tight as it should have been. It was also unfortunate that the company changed the programme at relatively short notice, which is normal practice in America, but isn't really over here. I think, though, that the general criticism was most unfortunate. In a sense, the publicity before the event wasn't as strong as it could have been. Because of the company's name, some people expected something along the lines of the Royal Ballet. That's not what they got, and to a certain extent they misunderstood what the company stands for. It's small and chooses to address more modern works, within a neo-classical perspective.

Some of the reviews seemed a little anti-American. I think they make it very difficult for the Washington Ballet to return to the UK for quite some time. The founder, Mary Day, has been distraught; she has never taken a company anywhere else in the world and received this kind of buffeting.

Simon Glass was talking to Dominic Cavendish