Aliev and William Wilson, the former executive director of Ballet Internationale, created Theatrical Rental LLC on March 31. They have offered $85,000 for all of Ballet Internationale's sets, costumes, video tapes, and office equipment.

The two intend to rent the productions to other ballet companies. They have no immediate plans to create a new company, Wilson said. "Personally, I would love to see a ballet company the caliber of Ballet Internationale here in Indianapolis, but I don't see it happening."

Founded in 1973 as Indianapolis Ballet Theatre, Ballet Internationale was directed by Aliev, a former Kirov Ballet dancer, from 1994 until its demise. It employed 27 dancers, many of them Russian-trained, and had a budget of $2.8 million.

The company's debt is "somewhat less than $500,000," board president Patrick Burley told the Star. It owes money to the IRS, the state of Indiana, subscribers, and vendors.

According to the Star, other ballet companies have bid for individual productions from Ballet Internationale's archive, but there have been no other bids for the entire collection.