Tchaikovsky's
Sleeping Beauty was first performed in 1890. The ballet bases its story on Charles Perrault's
La Belle au Bois Dormant, a fairytale with which many of us are familiar. After years of waiting and hoping, the king and queen have a baby daughter, whom they name Aurora. Aurora is beloved by all. However, at her chirstening ball, the fairy Carabosse places a curse on the baby out of anger and spite. Before Aurora's sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on a spindle and die! The Lilac Fairy softens the curse as best she can; Aurora will not die but instead she will fall asleep for one hundred years until her true love finds her. He will give the sleeping beauty a kiss to awaken not only the princess but the entire kingdom and defeat Carabosse forever. The Lilac Fairy promises to guard the princess throughout her life and see her gift through to the end.
Well, the kingdom never forgets Carabosse's words, and everyone does their utmost throughout the princess' first sixteen years to avoid spindles and other potentially sharp objects. But unfortunately, they also manage to overlook the disguised old woman crouched in a corner at Aurora's sixteenth birthday ball. The old woman, who is obviously Carabosse in disguise, hands the princess a bouquet of roses-- and a spindle. The castle falls asleep for one hundred years shortly thereafter.
One hundred years later, the Lilac Fairy plays matchmaker and tells a prince of the sleeping princess and her long lost kingdom. He races off to the castle and awakens the princess with a kiss. Aurora and her kingdom awaken. She and the prince quickly fall in love and are soon living happily ever after and the last hundred years are nothing but a bad dream.
Most children grow up hearing the story of the Sleeping Beauty, but the ballet brings the fairytale to life with magic and grandeur. The music is simple and elegant, perfectly suited to dance and pantomime. It is also definitely recognizable thanks to the Walt Disney Company that used Tchaikovsky's score to compose its movie soundtrack. Ballet Petite's
Sleeping Beautyallows the opportunity to perform pieces from an actual and historical ballet production with choreography from excellent teachers. It is also the last time these dancers perform a complete ballet at recital, so it's truly a treat to see the story unfold on stage, dance after dance, class after class, and ballerina after ballerina.
And take a little listen to our lovely narrator:
Sleeping Beauty featured choreography by:
Miss Amanda
Miss Sarah
Miss Emily
Miss Meghan
Miss Natalie
Miss Kristen
Miss Lauren
Miss Erin
Miss Jennifer
Miss Roxana
And narration by Claire Thorn
"Prologue: The Court of King Florestan" Miss Amanda
"Entrée of the Courtiers" Miss Sarah
"Entrée of the Fairies" Miss Emily
"Gifts of Beauty, Grace, and Generosity" Miss Meghan
"The Lilac Fairy's Gift" Miss Natalie
"Carabosse's Curse" Miss Kristen
"The Lilac Fairy Changes the Curse" Miss Lauren
"The Garland Waltz" Miss Erin
"The Rose Adagio" Miss Sarah
"Maidens of the Court" Miss Sarah
"Mysterious Old Woman with the Spindle" Miss Jennifer
"The Kingdom Sleeps for a Hundred Years" Miss Jennifer
"The Vision" Miss Erin
"The Kiss" Miss Amanda
"The Kingdom Prepares for a Wedding" Miss Natalie
"The Courtiers Dance" Miss Natalie
"The Fairies" Miss Natalie
"Puss in Boots, Blue Bird, Red Riding Hood, Cinderella" Miss Kristen
"Apotheoses" Miss Roxana
"Finale" Miss Erin
