Named in honor of the Kirov Ballet and State Theater of St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad). Directly descended from the Russian Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg, the Kirov has always preserved the highest values of classical dance. In the early nineteenth century, an extraordinary synthesis of French grace, Italian virtuosity and Russian temperament produced within this school a standard of artistry admired by the world and imitated by generations of dancers. In the late nineteenth century, the spectacular choreography of Marius Petipa, particularly in his Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, made St. Petersburg the capital of the ballet world. The Kirov has produced some of the greatest dancers, including Tamara Karsavina, Anna Pavlova {see planet  (3055)} and Vaslav Nijinsky. Ever a company of supreme elegance and impeccable taste, the Kirov performs with grace, technical ease, sensitivity and refined dramatic intensity. (M... _ _.