Aspiring ballet dancers hoping for the gold arrive Tuesday at the Bolshoi Theater, as the curtain rises on the prestigious Prix de Lausanne competition, held in Moscow for the first time.


"Moscow is a real center of dance with a long history," said Phillipe Braunschweig, the president of the Prix de Lausanne Foundation, in explaining why Moscow was chosen as the venue. "Because of the political situation, it is also very important that foreigners come to Moscow to show that they appreciate the Russian culture. It is an international interchange, and dance is an international language."


Performing classical excerpts, more than 50 young dancers from the Commonwealth of Independent States, Australia and the Far East will see their numbers narrowed to 15 during two elimination rounds. Last week in Lausanne, Switzerland, another 15 spots were filled by contestants from Western Europe and the Americas. These dancers have also come to Moscow for the weekend's semifinal and final rounds, in which both contemporary pieces as well as classical variations will be danced.


For students within the CIS, the competition's location in Russia makes it more accessible than in previous years.


Among the hopefuls are two Moscow ballet students.


Ksenia Zhuravlyova, 15, who studies at the Moscow Choreographic School, started ballet lessons seven years ago and has been preparing for the competition since October, rehearsing a variation from the first act of "Swan Lake," and a contemporary piece called "The Prayer."


"I would like to win a place to continue my studies abroad," Zhuravlyova said. "I'm looking forward to meeting fellow dancers from different countries."


Mikhail Kaniskin, 16, has been dancing since he was 4 years old. "I hope to get noticed as a dancer at this competition," he said. "Then my and my teachers' efforts will not have been in vain."


Twenty-nine countries are represented in this year's competition, sponsored locally by Gosconcert and the Culture Ministry. Moscow is the third city outside of Lausanne to stage the competition in its 23-year history (New York was host in 1985 and Tokyo in 1989).


Unlike other ballet tourneys, the Prix de Lausanne showcases only dancers between the ages of 15 and 19. Other competitions, such as the International Ballet Competition, which rotates among five cities around the world, including Moscow and Jackson, Mississippi, include a senior category that attracts dancers who are already professionals.


The initial rounds of the Prix de Lausanne take place in classrooms in practice clothes; costumes, lights and live accompaniment are added at the end of the competition.


In addition to the Gold Medal Lausanne, scholarships to renowned ballet schools will be awarded in Sunday's finale.


Funding for the competition comes from a variety of private and public sources.


Dance teachers and aficionados follow the Prix de Lausanne closely. Olga Smoak, the Moscow-based representative of the United States International Ballet Competition in Jackson, believes that the value of the Lausanne competition lies in the international training offered to the winners.


"Before, theaters were very nationally oriented, she said. "The French hired French dancers, the British hired British, the Flanders ballet hired Belgians. Since the competition began, there has been a much-needed opening of the schools."


The Prix de Lausanne jury knows talent when it sees it. "Students who have won scholarships have developed into leading figures in the ballet world," said Smoak, a veteran observer of competitions.One such star is Diana Vishneva, last year's gold medalist and the first entry ever from St. Petersburg's Vaganova Academy. She now dances with the Mariinsky Theater. International star Alessandra Ferri won the top prize in 1980.


Another Prix de Lausanne winner is Japanese dancer Gen Horiuchi, currently a soloist with the New York City Ballet. This year, Horiuchi returns to the competition as one of its 11 judges. Renowned contemporary choreographer John Neumeier, director of the ballet company of the Hamburg Opera in Germany, is the jury chairman, and other jurors include Natalia Bessmertnova and Mikhail Lavrovsky, former Bolshoi principals. "In order to recognize the potential of a dancer," Braunschweig said, "you must yourself be a dancer."





Only the final performance of the 1995 Prix de Lausanne is open to the public. The closing concert will be held Sunday at 6:30 P.M. at the Bolshoi Theater. Tickets can be purchased through the theater box office, tel. 292-9986, or by contacting IPS ticket service in the Metropol Hotel, tel. 927-6982.