For 30 years, the international ballet world has sought the skills of Prague native Jana Kurová, first as a prima ballerina and, since she retired her pointe shoes, as a judge and guest teacher for competitions and academies worldwide.

She credits a great deal of her success — including becoming the National Theater's youngest principal dancer — to her exposure to dance outside her home country. In particular, Kurová cites formative training in Russia and New York City as a young ballet student and guest performances with dance companies throughout the world in helping shape her impressive career.

When she turns her eye back to Prague, however, Kurová is not happy with what she sees. "The city can't compete with cities like Paris and New York," she says.

"If you are young, you want to see more performances, and for them to be better and better," she explains.

Kurová's determination to bring the experience gleaned from her time on the international ballet stage to her hometown will be on display this week in the star-studded Ballet Gala 2007. The one-night performance will feature works and dancers hand-selected by Kurová to span the breadth of today's ballet scene both geographically and artistically, with performers from ballet troupes around the world dancing classical, neoclassical and contemporary choreography.

"I wanted to make it interesting for our audience here in Prague," Kurová says of the dancers and pieces she chose for the event. "Sometimes it is the choreographers that make it interesting; sometimes it is interesting because of the dancers."

The lineup features a mix of local and international dancers, many performing in Prague premieres. "I think it's important to show Czech dance, and also performances from abroad," says Kurová. "Most pieces will be performed for the first time in Prague. That's why we are doing this."

This is the second annual presentation of Ballet Gala by Prague International Ballet, a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 for which Kurová serves as both director and artistic director. Ballet Gala 2006, the first incarnation of Kurová's goal to bring international dancers to Prague, featured soloists and principal dancers from across Europe. This year the event has broadened in scope, reaching beyond Europe to North and South America. Featured performers include Argentine dancer Inaki Urlezaga, Brazilian ballerina Daniela Severian, Igone de Jongh and Albanian-born Altin Kaftira of the Het Nationale Ballet in Amsterdam, and Herve Moreau and Emilie Cozette of the Paris Opera Ballet.

Highlights of Ballet Gala 2007 will include variations from the ballets Swan Lake, Tristan and Isolde and La Vie en Rose, and works by choreographers Marius Petipa, Ben van Cauwenbergh and Wayne Eagling. All of these pieces are performed regularly around the world, and some have been performed locally in the past. But bringing them together onstage for one night will offer dance fans a different perspective, according to Kurová. "The audience can see in one evening different styles and different performances," she says.

Ballet Gala's target audience of students seems appreciative of Kurová's efforts. Last year, Prague International Ballet received many letters of thanks from young people for exposing them to foreign dancers, choreographers and composers, validating Kurová's sense of mission.