She Won’t Dance In O.C. But She Will in D.C.

Citing fears of international terrorism linked to the Persian Gulf War, Sylvie Guillem recently canceled guest appearances with the American Ballet Theatre during its March 12-24 run at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, so she wouldn’t have to travel to the United States.

But it turns out that Guillem, a principal with the Royal Ballet in London, will dance with that company at the Kennedy Center in Washington during the same period. She is scheduled to dance “A Month in the Country” and “Swan Lake” March 16, 17, 19 and 22, a Kennedy Center official said.

ABT director Jane Hermann said Monday that the Orange County dates were nixed because Guillem “would not fly while the war was on” and, therefore, missed rehearsals with the company. Guillem was to have rehearsed with ABT in Washington in January and in New York in February, Hermann said.

“That was the only free time she had,” she said. “She has no more rehearsal time available to her.”

Now that the war is effectively over, Guillem can fly to participate in her own company’s engagement, for which she already has been preparing, Hermann said.

In any case, Costa Mesa apparently will be the only city that Guillem skips on the ABT tour.

Guillem was to have made her ABT debut in Costa Mesa, dancing “Fall River Legend” and “Ballet Imperial.”

Assuming that she now will have the necessary rehearsal time, she will dance those roles in San Francisco during the ABT’s March 26-April 7 engagement, and in New York during its April 22-June 22 run, Hermann said.