Partial Casting Told for Kirov Center Dates

The Kirov Ballet announced partial, tentative casting Friday for its nine-day engagement at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, opening Aug. 18.

The opening night Aurora in “The Sleeping Beauty” will be Galina Mezentseva, with Evgeny Neff as Prince Desire and Lubov Kunakova as the Lilac Fairy. Mezentseva, a controversial ballerina, and Neff were both prominent in the Kirov’s 1986 engagement at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Also on Aug. 18: Tatiana Terekhova as Princess Florine, and Kirill Melnikov, a stylish classical dancer who was not on the previous tour but is emerging as one of the company’s strongest dancers.

On Aug. 19, the roles in “Sleeping Beauty” will be taken by Zhanna Ayupova, Farukh Ruzimatov, Yulia Makhalina, Elena Pankova and Vitali Tsvetkov.

Ayupova was a secondary dancer on the 1986 tour and recently attracted attention in the title role of “Giselle,” although that ballet is not on the schedule for Orange County. Ruzimatov, known for flashy temperament, has generated much excitement during recent tours.

At the Aug. 20 matinee of “Sleeping Beauty,” the roles will be taken by Kunakova, Konstantin Zaklinsky, Mezentseva, Veronika Ivanova and Melnikov. Both Kunakova and Zaklinsky also were prominent in the 1986 tour. Zaklinsky appeared in American Ballet Theatre’s production of “Swan Lake” in March in Los Angeles.

Petipa’s “Le Corsaire,” as reconstructed by Pyotr Gusev and Yuri Slonimsky, will open at 8 p.m. on Aug. 22 with Altynai Assylmuratova, Neff, Pankova, Zaklinsky and Ruzimatov.

Assylmuratova, arguably the company’s international favorite, appeared with Zaklinsky, her husband, in ABT’s “Swan Lake” in Los Angeles and previous to that with Ruzimatov in “La Bayadere” in New York.

The cast for “Le Corsaire” at 8 p.m. on Aug. 23 will include Terekhova, Eldar Aliev, Irina Chistiakova, Tsvetkov and Melnikov. Terekhova, a strong classical dancer, was seen briefly when she was a guest last season with the Moscow Classical Ballet at the Performing Arts Center.

The cast for “Le Corsaire” at 8 p.m. on Aug. 24 will be the same as on Aug. 22.

Casting for the mixed-repertory bills will be announced.

Some casting may change once the Kirov arrives, however, because artistic director Oleg Vinogradov revises casting as he goes along, as he told The Times music and dance critic Martin Bernheimer recently in New York.

Vinogradov also told Bernheimer that although the company’s historic ventures into Balanchine repertory--”Scotch Symphony” and “Theme and Variations”--are not scheduled on the Costa Mesa run, “sometimes there are surprises.” These ballets were seen in New York and Washington.

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