Swedes Join ABT in Mix at OCPAC

Exclusive West Coast engagements of American Ballet Theatre in a new full-length production of “Le Corsaire” and the first Southern California appearance of the Royal Swedish Ballet--Europe’s third oldest dance company--will highlight the 1998-99 dance series presented by the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa.

ABT will dance “Le Corsaire” (choreographed by former Kirov Ballet director Konstantin Sergeyev after Petipa) and a program of shorter repertory to open the season Feb. 2-7.

The Swedish company, founded in 1773, will dance Mary Skeaping’s recently revived 1963 production of “Swan Lake” and a program of mixed repertory June 15-20.

The series will also include San Francisco Ballet in company director Helgi Tomasson’s new staging of “Giselle” Oct. 6-10, 1999.

Dec. 23-27, as a non-subscription event, the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago will dance “The Nutcracker.”

Series subscribers will be able to purchase priority tickets to “Riverdance--The Show,” previously announced on the center’s Broadway Series for June 2-13.

The Royal Swedish Ballet was founded by King Gustav III at the same time that he founded the Swedish Opera in Stockholm. An early dancer with the company was Antoine Bournonville, father of legendary choreographer August Bournonville, who left a major imprint on the repertory of the Royal Danish Ballet and other world-class companies.

American Ballet Theatre has danced at the center almost every season and was last seen here in February 1997 in Frederick Franklin’s “Coppelia” and a program of mixed repertory.

The San Francisco Ballet, America’s oldest ballet company, founded in 1933, appeared at the center in October 1996 in Tomasson’s “Swan Lake.”

The Joffrey Americana-staging of the “Nutcracker” was last seen here that December.

Subscriptions will run $20 to $174. Single tickets will be $10 to $68. Information: (714) 556-2787, Ext. 240.