Ballet for beginners

By Alex Rush

Get ready for some Ballet 101.

When Kingsborough Community College hosts the St. Petersburg Classic Ballet Theatre on March 6, the company will perform excerpts from four diverse works set to George Gershwin compositions in a show tailor-made for people who are looking to learn more about ballet — at a bargain.

“The idea behind the show is to give people an opportunity to see first-class ballet in the more affordable surrounding of a college auditorium,” said producer Paul Aarnio. “It will be like eating at the Golden Corral: you get a little bit of everything.”

This inexpensive ballet buffet may not have a live orchestra or the special effects of a Lincoln Center performance, but its dancing is top-notch. The show, which will include the quintessential classic “Swan Lake” and the relatively modern “Remember When?” is directed by Russian ballet vet Marina Medvetskaya, the go-to leading lady for big-time productions of the 1990s.

“It’s still a show people can leave feeling great about,” Aarnio said.

St. Petersburg Classic Ballet Theatre at Kingsborough Community College [2001 Oriental Blvd. at Decatur Avenue in Manhattan Beach, (718) 368-5596], March 6 at 3 pm. Tickets $30. For info, visit www.kcckpac.org.