TV REVIEWS : A Christmas Present for Balletomanes

It may be disloyal to the point of treason to admit it, but some of the finest dancing in the New York City Ballet “Balanchine Celebration” today on PBS comes from outside New York City Ballet. No, not just the guest dancers from Russia, England and France, but also those representing companies in Seattle, San Francisco and Harlem. Even members of American Ballet Theatre, believe it or not.

Directed by Matthew Diamond, this three-hour “Dance in America” telecast is scheduled today at 2 p.m. on KVCR-TV Channel 24. However, due to unspecified “schedule conflicts,” KCET-TV Channel 28 will show only the first half--starting at 9:30 p.m.

Shot in June and garnished with both interview and archival footage, the “Celebration” offers highlights of the daylong finale to City Ballet’s eight-week Balanchine festival, held to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the choreographer’s death. It includes generous portions of nine ballets, a solo from a 10th and one complete work: the four-minute “Scherzo a la Russe.”

For the occasion, City Ballet wanted the international profile that guest artists can provide--but it sometimes suffers in comparison. For instance, watch Manuel Legris of the Paris Opera Ballet in a solo from “Square Dance” or Darcey Bussell of the Royal Ballet in the duet from “Agon” and see sublime statements of classical purity that only two members of the home team approach: Peter Boal (in the first “Agon” trio) and Darci Kistler (in the “Theme and Variations” pas de deux and finale).

City Ballet virtuoso Damian Woetzel looks sensational in two mock-military showpieces: the “Union Jack” Royal Navy sequence and the “Stars and Stripes” pas de deux. But other company men appear either bland (Ben Huys in “Walpurgisnacht Ballet”) or stylistically eccentric (Nikolaj Hubbe in “Western Symphony”).

Worst of the lot: Nilas Martins, a very gauche Apollo opposite fine guest Muses: Isabelle Guerin (Paris Opera Ballet), Zhanna Ayupova (Kirov Ballet), Patricia Barker (Pacific Northwest Ballet).

The company as a whole looks best in the mirrored surges of “Vienna Waltzes,” led by the glamorous Stephanie Saland and the ardent Adam Luders. But the biggest surprise of the program is a special version of “Who Cares?”

Normally, in the section danced here, a series of solos and duets showcase just one man and three women. The “Celebration” edition, however, features four men and six women--including Ronald Perry (Dance Theatre of Harlem), Viviana Durante (the Royal Ballet), Jeremy Collins (American Ballet Theatre) and, most impressive of all, Elizabeth Loscavio (San Francisco Ballet).