Kennedy Center's Sub: The Kirov

The recent cancellation of Dance Theater of Harlem's January performances at the Kennedy Center will result in a midsummer boon for ballet lovers.

The center announced yesterday that the world-renowned Kirov Ballet will make its second appearance of the year July 5-10, performing its full-length production of "Le Corsaire" at the Opera House.

No replacement could be found for the Jan. 25-30 dates that Dance Theatre recently scratched due to financial troubles, Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser said.

However, the Kirov was able to reschedule its performances during the annual summertime White Nights Festival in its home town of St. Petersburg, which made the return visit to the Kennedy Center possible. The Kirov is already scheduled to lead off the center's ballet subscription series with performances of "Cinderella" Jan. 11-16.

With this addition to the ballet series, what started out as a setback -- the loss of Dance Theatre -- has turned into a major opportunity for center audiences. Dance Theatre had been slated to repeat its flashy but insubstantial ballet "St. Louis Woman," which it performed here last spring.

The substitution of the mighty Russian company performing a historically and artistically significant work is of another order altogether: "Le Corsaire" is a classic ballet of operatic proportions, danced in three acts and an epilogue, populated with dashing sailors, captive beauties, folk dancing, swordplay and some of the most frequently excerpted passages of bravura technique in the classical ballet repertoire.

The Kirov's version, last seen in the Opera House 15 years ago, was restaged in 1987 by Pyotr Gusev, after the original by Marius Petipa.

Kaiser noted that subscribers will be getting something of a bargain, as subscription prices will remain unchanged despite the fact that presenting a foreign company typically raises costs. However, single tickets to "Le Corsaire," which will go on sale April 11, will be higher than they would have been for Dance Theatre. Kaiser said fundraising will also be needed to cover an estimated $60,000 deficit resulting from the booking -- though he noted this is a relatively minor sum given the $47 million he intends to raise for the center overall this year.

"I think it's great for audiences," Kaiser said, clearly excited about the news. "I would never want to say I'm jubilant about DTH not coming, but I'm very pleased with this week and with having our audiences attended to."