The National Dance Theatre of Bermuda danced its way into the record books last night when they became the first local dance company to participate in the Bermuda Festival.

The company, supported by outstanding guest soloists, opened the 18th annual Festival with a performance that triumphantly confirmed its right to be there.

Over the years, National Dance Theatre has established a nucleus of choreographers who have provided necessary continuity in an art which is especially vulnerable to fluctuating standards amongst its dancers. Happily, the current group are strong, well trained and imbue their work with an impressive sense of theatre.

If the programme, consisting of seven separate works, was rather too long, it certainly gave the company ample opportunity to reveal their versatility.

Choreographer Conchita Ming, opened the proceedings with her always popular Tubular Images, set to music by Mike Oldfield and providing a stunning visual spectacle as the barefoot dancers, clad in metallic-bright leotards wove patterns of geometric precision to rhythms that gained climactic momentum.

Gillan Hannant Roy returned home to stage her second work for Dance Theatre, a brief but atmospheric piece entitled Long Way Home and portraying the relationships between three sisters. It was danced with playful lyricism by Cauthy Aicardi, Jennifer Ingham and Elizabeth Pimental.

Motown Magic, by the irrepressible Barbara Frith, certainly had a rare magic, as the company twisted and shimmied through the dances of the Sixties and Seventies to a medley of such oldie-goldies as Under the Boardwalk, My Guy and Sugar Pie Lollipop. The finale, amid a flurry of feather boas, had the audience cheering.

Then it was back to the Romantic era of ballet, with the charming Pas De Quatre, originally staged in 1845 for the four most famous ballerinas of the day. Mary Faulkenberry's staging of Anton Dolin's version, has been slightly modified, but from the moment when the curtain rose on the famous lithograph tableau, she maintained the sense of period and authenticity. The four ballerinas, each celebrated for their differing terpsichorean qualities, were danced with commendable style and humour by Elizabeth Pimental (Taglioni), Jennifer Ingham (Cerrito), Crystal Caesar (Grisi) and Charlotte Andrews as Grahn.

The Dying Swan, probably the most famous solo in all ballet, and immortalised by Anna Pavlova, is taken from Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals. The short dance is a balletic poem portraying the death-throes of this most graceful of birds. Gizella Witkowsky, whose build and temperament makes her the epitome of the classical ballerina, evoked a haunting sense of tragic lyricism as, arms and points a-flutter, she paradoxically brought the swan's last struggles gloriously and poignantly to life through the power of her performance.

Conchita Ming's new work, Out of the Shadows, set to the juxtaposing styles of Bobby McFerrin, Yo Yo Ma and Vangelis, is an intriguing study in three movements of the interrelation of light and movement. Six dancers, moving in dark silhouette against an aurora-like yellow background, gave way to become the shadows, punctured by shafts of gleaming light. Brightly topical in its dance language, the primeval slitherings were not without humour and it was danced with strength and poise.

Finally, the company surely captured all hearts with their magnificent performance of Act II of The Nutcracker. The National Dance Theatre is fortunate to have David Allan, who has worked with them consistently over the years, as their guest choreographer. Now a "hot'' property in the world of ballet, and named as one of the top dance personalities of 1992 by the New York Times, Allen has achieved a near-miracle in his staging of this popular ballet.

Arriving in the Kingdom of Sweets, the adorable Rebecca Faulkenberry (gallantly partnered by Machel Charles) took on the role of Clara with the conviction of a seasoned performer who almost stole the show.

A radiant Charlotte Andrews as the Dewdrop Fairy, led a corps de ballet who coped superbly well with the ensemble dances of the Sugar Sticks and the Waltz of the Flowers.

The divertissement of dances arranged for the entertainment of Clara sparkled throughout. Guest artist Michel Gervais demonstrated effortless ballon in his Russian Dance and, together with Jennifer Ingham brought verve and elan to their Spanish pas de deux. Renee Lambert was softly sensuous in her Arabian Dance and comedy was provided by Connie Dey as Mother Gigone, who produced from the enormous panorama of her skirts, a clutch of six dancing children.

Presiding over the Kingdom was the Sugar Plum Fairy, danced by Gizella Witkowsky and her Cavalier, Anthony Randazzo. Witkowsky, from the National Ballet of Canada, and Randazzo of the San Francisco Ballet, were making a welcome return visit to dance with the company.

Their Grand Pas de Deux reminded us that the allure of classical ballet at its best is hard to beat. Soaring through the strains of Tchaikovsky's music, Witkowsky revealed perfect line and carriage in her gloriously sustained arabesques and perfect pointe work. Randazzo is an outstanding dancer whose powerful jump and fast turns thrilled the audience. Watching him, it seemed an appropriate moment to reflect on the legacy left by Rudolf Nureyev, who died yesterday. More than any other dancer in our lifetime, he brought excitement back into dance and restored the male dancer to star status in the ballet.

Randazzo -- and all of us -- are in his debt.

A wildly enthusiastic audience confirmed that the National Dance Theatre of Bermuda is a company of which we may be justly proud.

PATRICIA CALNAN FESTIVAL PAS DE QUATRE -- Pictured surrounding Elizabeth Pimental are, from left, Renee Lambert, Jennifer Ingham and Charlotte Andrews. (Miss Lambert's role was danced last night by Crystal Caesar.)