‘Beauty’: All you could ask for is more

BALLETS change over time in ways their creators might never have understood, much less sanctioned.

Perrot and Coralli’s “Giselle” has dropped its happy ending (Albrecht not only saved from death but married to his faithful Bathilde). August Bournonville’s “Napoli” has lost much of its second act but gained a suite of dances in its third. And Marius Petipa’s “Sleeping Beauty” has evolved into something notably smaller in scale, shorter in running time and much more focused on classical dancing than the 1890 original. It’s the version you’ll be able to see when the Kirov Ballet of St. Petersburg, Russia, dances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in October: an abridged reduction.

It was created in 1952 by the company’s artistic director, Konstantin Sergeyev, and is much loved for its stylistic purity. There’s about an hour of music and dance missing, along with a plot point or two (the evil Carabosse’s appearance as a guest at Aurora’s wedding, for instance). Copied by companies everywhere, it is now as traditional as anything authentically Petipa.

But Sergeyev’s edition isn’t the only Kirov “Sleeping Beauty.” In 1999, the company used vintage dance notation and other sources to reconstruct the four-hour original -- in a production using the 1890 set and costume designs. It represented a revelation to those of us who saw it, a world at once familiar yet teeming with new discoveries.

Aurora’s role stayed nearly the same as in the Sergeyev version, but the number of processions, mime scenes, social dances, character dances and children’s dances framing her choreography added extraordinary splendor. For those touched by its magic, any other edition represents a step backward.

Still, nobody in ballet steps backward or forward with more grace than the Kirov. It is arguably the greatest ballet company in the world -- the Paris Opera Ballet its only real rival -- and it will be bringing its top stars to the Music Center. Indeed, on opening night and Oct. 8 as well, Diana Vishneva and Uliana Lopatkina are scheduled to appear together, with Igor Zelensky serving as princely partner.

We can rejoice at such generosity -- especially after the Bolshoi’s recent star-poor engagement in Costa Mesa -- even while recognizing that something precious has been left on ballet’s equivalent of the cutting room floor.

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Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Music Center, Oct. 5-9. More at www.musiccenter.org.