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The Sleeping Beauty

Presented by Houston Ballet at Wortham Theater Center - Brown Theater

March 10-March 20, 2011

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From March 10 through March 20, 2011, Houston Ballet will revive Ben Stevenson’s staging of The Sleeping Beauty, a flagship work for the company and a piece that is recognized as one of the supreme achievements of classical ballet.

The ballet is based on the classic French fairytale by Charles Perrault: a beautiful princess is cursed by an evil fairy and doomed to sleep for 100 years – only to be awakened by the kiss of the handsome prince who loves her. Desmond Heeley’s spectacular designs beautifully evoke the magic, drama and whimsy of this great work.

Mr. Welch describes performing The Sleeping Beauty as “the pinnacle of a dancer’s career and a monumental performance to undertake. There are so many great roles and we have scores of talented dancers. The piece has always been an audience favorite, but it is also a technically challenging work for the dancers.”

Houston Chronicle arts critic Molly Glentzer noted “The Sleeping Beauty isn’t just the Godiva of eye candy. It’s technically demanding, combining precise, pricking footwork with difficult balances, speedy turns and those testy little leaps known as cabrioles, in which the dancer’s feet beat in the air at an angle.” (September 20, 2003)

The ballet version of The Sleeping Beauty, like the fairytale, tells the story of the beautiful Princess Aurora. During the prologue, the court of King Florestan is celebrating the christening of Princess Aurora. Six fairies dance and bring gifts to the infant princess. The wicked fairy Carabosse interrupts the ceremony. She is angry because she has not been invited and delivers a curse upon the tiny princess: she will grow up to be beautiful, but will one day prick her finger and die. The Lilac Fairy changes the curse so that the Princess will not die, but sleep until she is awakened by the kiss of a prince.

Act I contains the famous Rose Adagio, one of the greatest challenges of nineteenth century choreography because of its demands of stamina, technical skill, and mastery of classical style. In this sequence, during the celebration of her sixteenth birthday, Princess Aurora dances with four visiting princes, each of whom, desiring to be her husband, offers her a rose and declares his love. As the celebration continues, the disguised Carabosse hands Aurora a bouquet in which a spindle is concealed. Aurora pricks her finger, and as she falls asleep, the Lilac Fairy appears and casts her spell, putting the entire court to sleep.

In Act II, a century has passed, and the handsome Prince Florimund is revealed with his hunting party at a lake. The Lilac Fairy leads him to the castle where Aurora has been asleep for 100 years. Act II climaxes in a moment of unforgettable grandeur and romantic spectacle as the prince gently kisses Aurora, awakening her from her slumber.

Act III is devoted to the celebration of the nuptials of Princess Aurora and Prince Florimund. Characters from other fairytales – Puss n’ Boots, the Bluebird and the White Cat – dance divertissements for the pleasure of the assembled courtiers. Aurora and Florimund perform the stunning grand pas de deux and the celebration closes with the entire court joining in the finale.

Pictured:  Dancers: Sara Webb and Ian Casady, Photo by: Pam Francis, Ballet: The Sleeping Beauty.