Le Corsaire has really only been known in the West for the show-stopping pas de deux which is a staple of all ballet competitions and gala nights around the world. However in the interests of preserving the Russian Imperial Ballet heritage the Kirov have recreated the entire ballet as authentically as possible.

A lot of talent went into Le Corsaire as the music is by Adolphe Adam and Delibes and the choreography is by Petipa. However the results are disappointing. The choreography is largely superficial and the music quite unmemorable. Moreover it is ballet at it most absurd and decadent. Not only is the plot banal and preposterous but also incredibly sexist. The heroine gets rescued not once but twice from the harem! I think the ballet would have been more successful if it was done with more humour and a tongue-in-cheek style. This is what the ABT did in their smash hit production in New York last year and the results were very successful. But the Kirov will have none of that. This is a faithful production with little humour or irony.

There is a lot of dancing in this ballet and more tutus than there are ballerinas! But ultimately without an adequate music score and particularly memorable choreography the dancing becomes monotonous. I struggled to maintain my attention throughout the ballet.

But what saves this video is the superb dancing of the Kirov company. This is the only video available with Asylmuratova in a starring role. That alone makes the video worth watching. Much has been said about the way she brings feeling and poetry to her movements. However in addition to that we see another dimension to her dancing virtuosity. Her dancing in the first act is quite incredible. But the great dancing does not stop here. The underrated Yalena Pankova also has a major role. She has an incredibly fleet-footed style coupled with effortless airy jumps. She is also really quite pretty. In fact she is the Russian equivalent to Miyako Yoshida and is a great pleasure to watch.

The men are not quite up the standard of the girls. Whilst I like their elegance and grace I thought they could have danced with more fire and passion. They are supposed to be pirates and corsaires yet they dance like princes. Faroukh Ruzimatov is particularly good but is in a comparatively minor role. The rest of the company dance superbly. There is a terrific dance scene in the third act which is perhaps the best part of the ballet. It is tutu heaven and it really shows the Kirov corps at their best. The acting, never the Kirov's strength, is terribly hammy - worse than silent movie acting.

The production values are quite good but rather cheesy. The costumes were in some cases quite lurid. The direction by Colin Nears is probably the best I have seen. He avoids long panned out shots of the corps and brings the camera very close in for the soloists. The result is to show Asylmuratova really at her very best.

I think this ballet is really only for balletomanes and people interested in dance history. People who are not familiar with ballet should avoid this video because it shows up ballet at it's most banal and sexist worst.

The video is widely available in both the United Kingdom and the United States at any major classical music shop.