FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE : Siberian dance troupe offers a bit of paradise.

If the word Siberia still raises haunting images of exile in a bitter, bleak land, the Krasnayarsk Siberian Dance Company may shatter the stereotype.

The 65-member troupe, born, raised and trained in the central Siberian town of Krasnayarsk, will present a colorful, energetic program in the Marsee Auditorium of El Camino College at 7 p.m. Sunday in one of the final performances of a 60-city American tour.

Founded in 1960, the group was brought to the United States in January by Columbia Artists for its first American performance since 1979. Until two years ago, Krasnayarsk was considered closed to visitors because of its proximity to military operations, tour manager Harry Rakowski said. But Columbia representatives searching for talent recently visited the town and rediscovered the dance troupe.

The two-hour program features 14 numbers that combine modern influences with folk art traditions that have existed for hundreds of years, choreographer Arkady Kondakov explained through an interpreter.

Character ballet, closer to modern dance than classical ballet, is woven with folk dance that has been passed down through generations and set to Russian folk music. Traditional music has been arranged to convey today’s spirit, Kondakov said.

Each dance has a plot and almost all are based on a historical or realistic event that has been given an element of fantasy, he said.

The opening number, “My Siberia,” recreates the rhythm of a day in the performers’ homeland, from the lazy waking of the sun to the upbeat tempo of the day in full swing. If audiences watch closely, they will learn much about Siberian culture and discover the basic character of Siberian people.

“In Siberia, the climate is contrasting with severe winters and very hot summers,” Kondakov explained. “This gives the people a special temperament. They are very poetic and highly temperamental. They are also a dignified people. These three elements are vivid in their dances.”

The dancers’ handmade costumes reveal Turkish, Mongolian and other ethnic influences that make up Siberia’s diverse culture.

The women will wear the Turkish sarafan , a type of dress, topped by headgear such as a crown or hat called a kokoshnik . Male performers will wear the colorful, embroidered Turkish caftan, much like a half coat, and high boots.

According to Kondakov, Krasnayarsk translates roughly to “a beautiful, red paradise, a place for games, entertainment and happiness.” Bringing the troupe to U.S. audiences then, is like offering a bit of paradise.

And although the performers speak little or no English, Kondakov said, the response from American audiences has been well understood by the dancers.

“The most pleasant thing for an artist is when the audience and the performers like each other, and I think this has happened,” Kondakov said. “This is real human contact.”

Tickets are $25, $22 and $18. The Marsee Auditorium is located at Redondo Beach and Crenshaw boulevards in Torrance. For more information call (800) 832-ARTS or (310) 329-5345.