Cincinnati Ballet ends its season with a major story ballet in A Thousand and One Nights.

        Actually, it's multiple stories within a story, but this is all you need to know: Long ago an Arabian Sultan finds his wife, Nurida (a lilting, airy Lorna Feijoo), in the arms of another man. In his rage he decides to kill her and all the other women in his kingdom. The beautiful Scheherazade tells him stories to distract him. Her stories of an enchanted bird, Aladdin and his magic lamp and Ali Baba the pot maker eventually soften the Sultan and with her he finds true love and trust again.

        Not a story that would have many female fans today, but a pretty accurate reference to the original Arabian Nights. Friday's opening cast leapt into the exotic tale with gusto, digging deep for colorful characterizations.

        Leading all with a powerful performance was Jay Goodlett as the wronged Sultan. He's a dancer with innate dramatic abilities; it was satisfying to see him onstage long enough to inhabit a role. His leaps are always incredibly high; they floated even longer. It was his strength in partnering that provoked a gasp. He took Scheherazade (a deliciously finessed Shusheng Tong) from four male dancers who held her aloft and sustained a full overhead lift alone. Later he held her above his head with only one arm. These were amazing feats choreographer Eldar Aliev gave his leading man and Mr. Goodlett didn't disappoint. The partnering throughout for major and minor characters was a joy.

        If parents are concerned about an Act I orgy scene, they needn't be. It has the expected bumps and grinds, but is tame by today's standards — you'll see worse in a Britney Spears commercial. The harem-based costumes (Galina Solovyova) and ornate set design (Simon Pastukh) are worth the price of admission. The music is icing on the cake.

        With a score by Azerbaijani composer Fikret Amirov, Maestro Carmon DeLeone created intriguing sounds with his ballet orchestra. Helping set the mood were the lovely voices of the Ladies Miami University Chorus and vocal soloist Alison Acord. The most haunting sounds came from Fouad Djalilov's tar — a mandolin-type stringed instrument with a hint of the balalaika.

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