Russian dance company returns

In its first Southern California appearances since 1992, the Mariinsky Theatre of St. Petersburg Kirov Ballet will perform at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre and at Orange County Performing Arts Center in October, accompanied by the Kirov Orchestra.

At the Kodak from Oct. 14-19, the Russian dance company will perform its recent elaborate reconstruction of Marius Petipa’s full-length ballet “La Bayadere,” which the company presented to critical acclaim in New York in 2002. In Orange County, the company will present two programs: a collection of Mikhail Fokine classics -- “Chopiniana,” “Scheherazade” and “The Firebird” -- on Oct. 21-23, and “Jewels” by George Balanchine on Oct. 24-26.

Although the Kirov Ballet has not visited Southern California for a decade, the Kirov Opera was here last year -- though not under the easiest circumstances. In November, Los Angeles Opera canceled planned performances of Kirov Opera’s “War and Peace” because of financial problems. That production was replaced by another Kirov opera, “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk,” which ran into its own problems when the 10-day shutdown of West Coast ports prevented the sets, costumes and props from being unloaded in Los Angeles.

-- Diane Haithman