For more than 200 years at its home in St. Petersburg, the Kirov Ballet has resided at the top echelons of artistic achievement, to which so many other companies aspire. For its second engagement in the Kennedy Center's 2004-2005 ballet season, the Kirov presents its vibrant version of the sweeping full-length ballet Le Corsaire with choreography by Pyotr Gusev, based on the 1863 composition and choreography of Marius Petipa. A tale of dashing pirates, passionate heroines, swashbuckling abductions, and dramatic ship rescues, Le Corsaire features music by Adolphe Adam, Cesare Pugni, Leo Delibes, Riccardo Drigo, and Pavel Oldenburgsky.

Accompanied by the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra

CAST

JULY 5 EVENING
MEDORA: Viktoria Tereshkina CONRAD: Ilya Kuznetsov GULNARA: Ekaterina Osmolkina LANKEDEM: Andrian Fadeyev  BIRBANTO: Dmitry Pukhachev ALI SLAVE: Leonid Sarafanov SEID PASHA: Vladimir Ponomarev FORBAN: Galina Rakhmnanova, Andrey Iakovlev, Islom Baimuradow, Polina Rassadina, Lira Khuslamova ODALISK GIRLS: Irina Golub, Daria Sukhorukova, Tatyana Tkachenko  ALGERIAN DANCE:  Elena Bazhenova PALESTINIAN DANCE: Polina Rassadina

JULY 6 EVENING
MEDORA: Alina Somova CONRAD: Vladimir Shishov GULNARA: Olesya Novikova LANKEDEM: Anton Korsakov ALI SLAVE: Dmitry Semionov  FORBAN: Elena Bazhenova ODALISK GIRLS: Irina Golub, Ekaterina Osmolkina, Tatyana Tkachenko ALGERIAN DANCE: Elena Bazhenova PALESTINIAN DANCE: Galina Rakhmanova

JULY 7 EVENING
MEDORA: Sofya Gumerova CONRAD: Evgeny Ivanchenko GULNARA: Irina Golub LANKEDEM: Leonid Sarafanov  ALI SLAVE: Andrian Fadeyev FORBAN: Galina Rakhmnanova  ODALISK GIRLS: Evgenya Obraztsova, Daria Sukhorukova, Irina Zhelonkina ALGERIAN DANCE: Elena Bazhenova  PALESTINIAN DANCE: Polina Rassadina

JULY 8 EVENING
MEDORA: Viktoria Tereshkina CONRAD: Ilya Kuznetsov GULNARA: Ekaterina Osmolkina LANKEDEM: Andrian Fadeyev ALI SLAVE: Anton Korsakov FORBAN: Elena Bazhenova ODALISK GIRLS: Evgenya Obraztsova, Daria Sukhorukova, Irina Zhelonkina ALGERIAN DANCE: Elena Bazhenova PALESTINIAN DANCE: Galina Rakhmanova

JULY 9 MATINEE
MEDORA: Tatyana Tkachenko Or Elena Vostrotina CONRAD: Evgeny Ivanchenko GULNARA: Olesya Novikova LANKEDEM: Anton Korsakov ALI SLAVE: Dmitry Semionov FORBAN: Galina Rakhmanova, Andrey Iakovlev, Islom Baimuradow, Polina Rassadina, Lira Khuslamova ODALISK GIRLS: Evgenya Obraztsova, Ekaterina Osmolkina, Irina Zhelonkina  ALGERIAN DANCE: Elena Bazhenova PALESTINIAN DANCE: Polina Rassadina

JULY 9 EVENING
MEDORA: Alina Somova CONRAD: Vladimir Shishov GULNARA: Irina Golub LANKEDEM: Andrian Fadeyev ALI SLAVE: Leonid Sarafanov  FORBAN: Elena Bazhenova, Andrey Iakovlev, Islom Baimuradow, Polina Rassadina, Lira Khuslamova  ODALISK GIRLS: Evgenya Obraztsova, Daria Sukhorukova, Irina Zhelonkina Or Tatyana Tkachenko  ALGERIAN  DANCE: Elena Bazhenova PALESTINIAN DANCE: Galina Rakhmanova

JULY 10 MATINEE
MEDORA: Sofya Gumerova CONRAD: Ilya Kuznetsov GULNARA: Ekaterina Osmolkina LANKEDEM: Anton Korsakov ALI SLAVE:  Leonid Sarafanov FORBAN: Galina Rakhmanova, Andrey Iakovlev, Islom Baimuradow, Polina Rassadina, Lira Khuslamova ODALISK GIRLS: Evgenya Obraztsova, Daria Sukhorukova, Irina Zhelonkina Or Tatyana Tkachenko  ALGERIAN  DANCE: Elena Bazhenova     PALESTINIAN DANCE:  Polina Rassadina