Premieres Highlight Ballet’s 28th Season

Six premieres and guest appearances by Joffrey dancers Tina LeBlanc and Edward Stierle will highlight the Ballet Pacifica’s 28th season.

LeBlanc and Stierle will be guests for the opening program Sept. 2 at the Irvine Bowl, 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. Three programs will be presented at the Moulton Theatre, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, and there will be a four-program children’s series at the Festival Forum Theatre, also at 650 Laguna Canyon Road, starting Oct. 28.

The premieres will be El Gabriel’s “Solitude” (music by Schumann) on Sept. 2, Kathy Kahn’s “Rustic Concerto” (Vivaldi) on Feb. 17 and 18, and two works to be announced, all at the Moulton; and for the children’s series, Sandra Winieski’s “Puss in Boots” (to a compiled score) on Oct. 28 and 29, and Kathy Kahn’s “Winnie-the-Pooh” (to a compiled score) March 17 and 18.

The company will also offer its traditional “Nutcracker” ballet (choreographed by company founder Lila Zali to the Tchaikovsky score) at the Moulton Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 20 through 23 at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m.

The series:

-- Sept. 2, 8 p.m. at the Irvine Bowl: “A Careless Ease” (Kahn/Bolling); “Don Quixote” pas de deux (Celli-Zali/Minkus); Act III from “The Sleeping Beauty” (Zali/Tchaikovsky); “Solitude” (premiere; Gabriel/Schumann).

-- Feb. 17, 8 p.m., and Feb. 18, 3 p.m., at the Moulton: “Paquita” (Moreno/Minkus); “Rustic Concerto” (premiere; Kahn/Vivaldi); new ballet to be announced.

-- April 14, 8 p.m., and April 15, 3 p.m., at the Moulton: “Fantacia” (Appleton/Tchaikovsky); “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Zali/Mendelssohn).

-- June 23, 8 p.m. and June 24, 3 p.m. at the Moulton: “Divertimento” (Zompakas/Mozart); “Brahms Waltzes” (Weidman/Brahms); new ballet to be announced.

The Ballet for Children series programs at the Festival Forum will be presented at 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays and at 3:30 p.m. on Sundays:

-- Oct. 28, 29: “Ghouls and Goblins” (Calamaro/Saint-Saens); “Puss in Boots” (premiere; Winieski/compiled score).

-- Jan. 27, 28, 1990: “The Tennis Lesson” (Panaieff/Strauss); “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (Zali/Delibes).

-- March 17, 18: “Winnie-the-Pooh” (premiere; Kahn/compiled score); “Mixed Vegetables” (Kahn/compiled score).

-- May 26, 27: “Dance America” (Calamaro/compiled score); “Hansel and Gretel” (Zali/Adam).

Concert series subscription tickets are $45 for adults, $35 for children and senior citizens. Children’s series subscription tickets are $22 for adults, $18 for children.

For information, call (714) 642-9275.