ABT's Le Corsaire Sets Sail on PBS.

American Ballet Theatre's Le Corsaire, to be aired on Dance in America over PBS this month, may be just the program to propel little boys into the dance studio. The libretto reads like an action-packed adventure serial, and if the pyrotechnical capers of Ethan Stiefel, Angel Corella, Joaquin De Luz, and Vladimir Malakhov in this hyperactive ballet fail to inspire them to dance, what will?

Taped during performances last February at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, California, the program was produced by Judith Kinberg, directed by Matthew Diamond, and charmingly hosted by ABT artistic director Kevin McKenzie. In fact, his preamble (written by playwright Wendy Wasserstein) effectively generates .suspense and anticipation. McKenzie relishes the ballet, despite its "politically incorrect attitudes" because it gives his dancers multiple opportunities for virtuosic dancing. He treats the complexity of the action as a lark. In quick takes, various personnel at ABT, from leading dancers to stage and wardrobe crew, are asked to describe the plot. ("Do you have half an hour?" asks one dancer.) The stars describe their roles and actions before each act, and their playful confusion only whets the appetite.

Le Corsaire is, of course, a romantic ballet reconfigured by numerous choreographers many times during that era. It has the prerequisite exotic locale--Adrianople, Turkey--with native dances, colorful settings, a pirate ship, and glamorous costumes. In "Le Jardin Anime," the required fantasy scene, the foolish pasha dreams that his harem is a garden, providing a radiant occasion for the two ballerinas and the female corps, augmented by children. With the dancers displaying garlands, this scene augurs the Garland Dance from The Sleeping Beauty. Le Corsaire also has the proverbial romantic hero with problems considerably less complex than those of such confreres as James of La Sylphide and Albrecht of Giselle. Conrad is not called on to betray his beloved; he merely rescues her! For a pirate, such an escapade is all in a day's work. Rather than pull the heartstrings, this Romantic ballet in a lighter vein just tweaks them.

ABT's version of the ballet is based on Marius Petipa's choreography, as restaged by Soviet choreographer Konstantin Sergeyev and set by Anna-Made Holmes. The current score is a musical hodgepodge by Riccardo Drigo, Cesare Pugni, Leo Delibes, Prince Oldenburg, and Adolphe Adam (the original composer), with all too few moments of greatness. If he wasn't roused by the score, Petipa must definitely have been encouraged by his dancers, for Le Corsaire includes juicy roles for both women and men.

ABT's performers clearly enjoy the challenge of this tumultuous frolic. Stiefel bounds through the role of the amicable pirate, Conrad, with appropriate bravado, filling the stage with his effortless power. Julie Kent, as the slave Medora, the object of his affection, is utterly charming. Dancing with a newfound, wondrous spontaneity, Kent is as exquisite in the shaping of an adagio phrase as she is at whipping off thirty-two fouettes. Corella, as Conrad's slave, Ali, performs the most familiar pas de deux of the ballet with her. (Rudolf Nureyev brought this section to our attention in 1962 when he danced it with Margot Fonteyn; not surprisingly, the Nureyev Foundation is one of the supporters of this telecast.) In this production, the pas de deux is actually a pas de trois, with Conrad assisting in the adagio. However, the stage belongs to Corella, a stunning suppliant to Kent's grace. Circling the stage, he hangs in the air with his legs tucked under him in each miraculous leap.

Other lead roles are danced with equal vigor and passion by Malakhov as the malicious slave dealer, De Luz as Conrad's unfaithful cohort, and Paloma Herrera as Medora's fellow slave. The three Odalisques in the first act pas de trois--Sandra Brown, Gillian Murphy, and Olga Konobeyeva--breeze through the magical intricacies of their individual solos, their lyrical port de bras complemented by refined pointe work. The many occasions for virtuosity in this outrageous romp rarely give the audience a moment to catch its breath.

Although it is not to be compared with the great nineteenth-century ballets, in which the synthesis of musical and choreographic invention is sublime, Le Corsaire is so brilliantly danced by ABT that infectuous energy radiates from the little screen. As for that plot, you'll just have to tune in to PBS on December 20 (check your local television listings for the date in your area) to learn about that.

JUST RECEIVED

Intermediate Matwork, from Stott Conditioning. Moira Stott, who espouses a contemporary approach to the teachings of Joseph Pilates, guides Beth Evans through the method's exercises in this well-paced demonstration of a substantial, effective workout. A worthy investment for dancers eager to build strength safely. Call [phone] or visit Stott's Web site at www.stottconditioning.com.

Tango Passion. Cal Pozo's Learn to Dance in Minutes. Lively introduction to the tango, with clear instructions. www.peterpan.com.

Gypsy Heart. A poignant documentary about the creation of a flamenco school and company in Boston by Omayra Amaya, the grandniece of Carmen Amaya. Produced and directed by Jocelyn Ajami, the film ends with Amaya relocating to the University of New Mexico. Call [phone].

Behind the Scenes with choreographer David Parsons. This PBS series looks at the creative process from the artist's point of view, and Volume Five deals with choreography. The best part is a collage of images--including dancers, animals, and airplanes--cleverly sequenced to Adolphe Adam's music for the first-act solo of Giselle. Telephone [phone] or visit www.firstrunfeatures.com.

Contributing editor Rose Anne Thom is on the dance faculty of Sarah Lawrence College.