John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Through Sunday
THE PLOT: Ballet plots can be pretty foolish, but “Corsaire’s” tops them all. Based on a poem by Lord Byron, it tells of Medora, a beautiful Greek girl who is sold into slavery, rescued by a dashing pirate, then recaptured and re-rescued. Along the way, the show produces a comical pasha, seductive harem dancers and a spectacular shipwreck at sea. The plot may be a hoot, but it’s the excuse for a glorious outpouring of brilliant dancing.
THE HISTORY: The full-evening work is seldom seen here but has been a constant favorite in Russia. The ballet premiered at the Paris Opera in 1856, but Marius Petipa’s later version — staged by the legendary choreographer in St. Petersburg — is the basis for today’s “Corsaire.” The famous “Corsaire Pas de Deux,” an excerpt from the full-length work, is a favorite at ballet galas for its exotic zing.
THE PRODUCTION: The Kirov’s updated production was choreographed by Pyotr Gusev based on the Petipa original. Rumor has it that the staging is magnificent. The score is a crazy-quilt mix taken from music by five composers from Russia, Italy and France, including a Russian prince.
WHY SHOULD YOU GO? For a steady stream of some of the most dazzling bravura dancing in the ballet repertoire and to see one of the great companies of the world performing a work created for it more than a century ago, freshly restaged and still sparkling. Besides, it’s ballet lite — great fun on a summer’s night and easy to watch.
— Jean Battey Lewis
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