ABT’s ‘Swan Lake’ Debut Set at Center

The world premiere of the American Ballet Theatre’s new “Swan Lake” will be presented at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa this fall.

Center officials announced Tuesday that ABT, directed by Mikhail Baryshnikov, will appear Nov. 29-Dec. 11 as part of the Center-sponsored Classic Ballet Series.

The series also will include the Joffrey Ballet; the Moscow Classical Ballet, which is on its first tour of the United States, and the Royal Spanish National Ballet (Real Ballet Nacional de Espana), on its first tour of the West Coast. The Joffrey will present the West Coast premiere of its new production of Eugene Loring’s “Billy the Kid,” in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the work.

Choreographer, designer and casting for ABT’s new “Swan Lake,” to be created for the company’s 50th anniversary, will be announced. Reliable sources have indicated that the staging will be by Baryshnikov, but ABT spokesmen said that no one has been named, and also that it is too early to say whether Baryshnikov will dance in Orange County.

ABT also will present its revival of Massine’s “Gaite Parisienne” (music by Offenbach), with costumes by Christian Lacroix, which premiered in March in Los Angeles. Other works will be announced.

“This year, we are trying to extend the range and diversity . . . of our dance programming,” Center President Thomas R. Kendrick said Tuesday.

Kendrick called the Moscow company “a Russian Joffrey.”

“It is made up of young dancers, like the Joffrey, and is known in Russia as a young company because it is only 17 years old,” Kendrick said. “The company has never toured in the United States, but it has toured in Europe and had tremendous success there.”

Touring with the company of about 65 dancers are some dancers affiliated with the Kirov and the Bolshoi ballets, including 49-year-old Bolshoi ballerina Yekaterina Maximova.

Casting for all ballets will be announced at a later date.

Following are available dates and repertory:

-- The Royal Spanish National Ballet, Aug. 2-7. Repertory will include Jose Granero’s “Medea” (music by Manolo Sanlucar), Alberto Lorca’s “Ritmos” (Rhythms) (music by Jose Nieto) and Martin Vargas’ “Flamenco” (traditional music).

-- Moscow Classical Ballet, Oct. 4-9. Works will include “Divertissements (The Mischiefs of Terpsichore),” which includes excerpts from ballets such as “Le Corsaire,” “Don Quixote,” “La Bayadere,” among others; Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasiliov’s “Creation of the World” (music by Andrei Petrovas), and Kasatkina and Vasiliov’s “Romeo and Juliet” (music by Prokofiev). Kasatkina and Vasiliov are co-artistic directors.

-- Joffrey Ballet, April 19-23, 1989. Repertory will include Loring’s “Billy the Kid” (music by Copland), Nijinsky’s “Le Sacre du printemps” (music by Stravinsky) and works to be announced. “Billy” will be staged by Patrice Whitehead, who studied with Loring at UC Irvine. Loring founded the UCI Dance Department in 1965 and was its chairman until 1981.

Series subscription tickets, which go on sale June 17, will cover five events, including two performances by ABT, and will range from $68-$200. Individual tickets will go on sale about six weeks before each engagement. Information: (714) 556-2787.