STILL KIROV AFTER ALL THESE YEARS.

Byline: Laura Bleiberg Orange County Register

It is yet another packaged one-night-stand tour. Highlights - nuggets - of the classical repertory. Canned music. No sets. It is the ``If it's Wednesday this must be the `Stars of the Kirov' show.''

Such tours pack 'em in. Audiences still hunger for the glory of Soviet-era ballet. But don't think for a moment that the Russian dancers get much pleasure from night after night of greatest-hits pas de deux.

``I hate dancing these small pieces,'' said Farukh Ruzimatov, the great Kirov dancer. ``Because when you are dancing a whole performance, you have the time to express yourself in a small piece (right away), which is very difficult. But on the other hand, dancing in small pieces, you can judge the skill of the dancer because (they have to show their stuff) in such a short time in a small piece.''

Once upon a time, the ballet had great stars, and many of them were Russians. Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Natalia Makarova and Farukh Ruzimatov.

Ruzimatov, the dark, mesmerizing Kirov Ballet principal who has been compared to Nureyev, just may be the last of the breed. Handsome, headstrong and possessed of the animal magnetism that brings crowds to their feet, Ruzimatov epitomized a look and style of dancing that has all but disappeared.

Despite his disdain for these ``stars'' tours, Ruzimatov is on the bus, which is coming to the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza on Sunday.

Other dancers include Zhanna Ayupova, Yulia Makhalina and Andrei Batalov, a demi-caractere dancer described as a technical standout by The New York Times.

In a conference-call interview with Ruzimatov in Arizona and the translator in London, the Russian star was polite but morose-sounding. He answered questions succinctly and emitted a plaintive sigh before answering that, yes, maybe one day he'd be interested in choreographing, but he's not sure he has what it takes to create a dance. But after the interview had ended and he was thanked for his time and willingness to talk, he felt compelled to add one more comment, perhaps afraid he had failed to satisfy.

``It's not very good form to communicate over the phone, via an interpreter. I think when we meet (during the performance), I will not disappoint.'' He usually doesn't disappoint.

Ruzimatov was born on Jan. 26, 1963, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. His mother was a singer, and his father taught music theory. Ruzimatov was ``discovered'' by a Kirov recruiter while he was at summer camp, and he entered the illustrious Vagonova Ballet Academy when he was 11. He was invited to join the Kirov Ballet straight from school, and he shot up through the ranks.

Attention to form

As a dancer, Ruzimatov has been known more for the passion he brought to his roles - as was Nureyev - than for his purity of form, for which Baryshnikov was renowned. But during the ``Stars'' stop in New York City, New York Times critic Anna Kisselgoff noted that he exhibited a ``new attention to form.''

In the ``Corsaire'' pas de deux, she said he ``Has come back with some of the firebrand passion of his early days.''

In the old days, a dancer like Ruzimatov might have jumped from the Russian mother ship in his early 20s. He received his first big notices in this country during the company's 1989 tour, and he subsequently was invited to dance with American Ballet Theatre as a guest artist during its 1989-90 season. But Ruzimatov returned to the Kirov. He has said that the roots of the Russian tradition are what feed him.

During this interview, he said he makes few guest appearances.

``Before, I toured, and I liked touring alone. Now, I'm most of the time touring with the Kirov Ballet, and I like the atmosphere of the theater. This way, I get my inspiration, and I am `filling' myself better when I'm performing with the company.''

For one year, he wore two hats, as premier principal dancer and associate artistic director, but he has relinquished the administrative duties. He said it was a decision arrived at amicably.

``It's very difficult to combine two positions. I have chosen at this stage to continue to be a dancer.''

It's a choice that at one point might have been inspired by love for the art form. But at this moment, under these particular trying times and circumstances - both in Russia and on this tour - inspiration seems to elude him.

`This is my work'

``It's difficult to say whether I like or dislike just dancing. This is my work. Speaking of the pleasures of dancing, I wouldn't say I'm getting much pleasure. It's hard work and complicated work on stage. It's very seldom when I get real pleasure from my work.''

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia's great ballet companies have operated on a precipice, brought about by corruption, lack of money, and demoralizing conditions. When asked about current conditions at the Kirov, Ruzimatov said the dancers must sign up for tours such as this one to supplement their meager incomes.

Still, there are some bright spots. Company management has invited French choreographer Roland Petit to teach dancers two ballets, and the company is scheduled to learn George Balanchine's ``Jewels,'' which, as whimsical evidence of the difficulty of inter-language interviews, Ruzimatov and the translator called ``Stones.'' Ruzimatov had great success with Petit's virtuoso ``Le Jeune Homme et la Mort,'' which Baryshnikov danced at the start of the movie ``White Nights.''

And Ruzimatov was not so pessimistic as to say that the age of the genuine ballet star will end with him.

``I think there have always been good, great dancers, and they will continue to appear.''

THE FACTS

What: ``Stars of the Kirov Ballet.''

Where: Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd.

When: 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets: $35, $45, $65. Call [phone].

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Yulia Makhalina is among the dancers in Sunday's ``Stars of the Kirov Ballet.''