Segerstrom Center to Open 2015-16 Season with Mariinsky Ballet, 9/24-27

Russia's Mariinsky Ballet, one of the world's most influential and historically rich dance companies, returns to Segerstrom Center for the Arts September 24 - 27, 2015 opening the Center's 30th Season with Raymonda. Performing with the Mariinsky Orchestra, this will be the company's eighth visit to the Center and the first time this masterpiece from the Golden Age of Russian classical ballet will be performed in Southern California. Following the Segerstrom Center engagement, the company will perform Cinderella at The Music Center in Los Angeles October 8-11, 2015.

Raymonda has been called the "last grand ballet" of the 19th century. The choreography - filled with dazzling solos, spellbinding duets and intricate ensembles - is by Marius Petipa to Alexander Glazunov's atmospheric and dramatic score. The Mariinsky production includes revisions by Konstantin Sergeyev with choreographic fragments by Fyodor Lopukhov. Raymonda is known primarily through its Grand Pas Classique Hongrois from the third act, which is often performed independently. The ballet is set in medieval Hungary and tells the story of a beautiful young noblewoman who is conflicted by her love for her betrothed, the crusader knight Jean de Brienne, and a handsome Saracen warrior.

Tickets to see the Mariinsky Ballet and Orchestra start at $29 and go on sale Sunday, August 9 at 10 a.m. PT. They will be available online at SCFTA.org, by calling (714) 556-2787 and at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. For inquiries about group ticket discounts, call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236. The TTY number is (714) 556-2746. Yuri Fateev, the Mariinsky's ballet director, will conduct the Preview Talks one hour prior to each performance. The Friday, September 25 Preview Talk will be sign-language interpreted. Artists and program are subject to change.

The Center's International Dance Series is made possible by the Audrey Steele Burnand Endowed Fund for International Dance and The Segerstrom Foundation Endowment for Great Performances and the Barbara Steele Williams Designated Agency Endowment. Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds Kia, the Official Automotive Partner of the Center. United Airlines is the Official Airline of the Center. Classical KUSC and COAST Magazine are Media Partners of the International Dance Series.

The Mariinsky Ballet lovingly guards its legacy. Its repertory is vast and its artistry and dancers are unrivalled. Originally known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet dates back to the 1740s, following the establishment of the first Russian dance school (now the Vaganova Ballet Academy) in 1738. The renaissance of Russian ballet, by and large, was the result of the creative genius of France's Marius Petipa and the Mariinsky troupe coming together during the latter part of the 19th century. In addition to Raymonda, the results of this collaboration include La Bayade?re, The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, garnering the Mariinsky Ballet the highest esteem in classical ballet. Raymonda was created by the Mariinsky and premiered in 1898. The current production received its premiere in 1948. Sets and costumes are by Simon Virsaladze.

The Mariinsky Ballet's engagements in Orange County and Los Angeles are under the management of Ardani Artists.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts' 2015-2016 International Dance Series also includes the exclusive West Coast engagements of American Ballet Theatre, performing the American premiere of its production of The Nutcracker (December 10 - 20, 2015), Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo with the West Coast premiere of Chore? (February 11 - 13, 2016, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (April 6 - 10, 2016) performing a selection from its vast repertory and the Royal Swedish Ballet dancing the West Coast premiere of Juliet & Romeo (June 10 - 12, 2016).