THE SLEEPING BEAUTY PERFORMED BY THE KIEV BALLET
Following is information concerning the production
of "The Sleeping Beauty" performed by
The Kiev Ballet.
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The Sleeping Beauty performed by The Kiev
Ballet - Live from Kiev |
HISTORY OF "THE SLEEPING BEAUTY"
The Sleeping Beauty, based on
the Perrault fairy tale "La Belle au bois dormant",
was written by a French story teller Charles Perrault,
a 17th Century writer whose work was contemporaneous
with the reign of Louis XIV.
Perrault published "La Belle
au bois dormant" (The Sleeping Beauty) in Paris
in January 1697, as the first of eight stories
in a book titled "Histories au Contes du temps
pass�, Avec de Moralitez."
Although over the years there
have been few adaptations to the fairy tale, the
plot of the story generally has remained the same,
whereby a King and Queen give birth to a daughter,
Princess Aurora who is cursed at infancy by the
evil fairy Carrabosse, who predicts that one day
she will prick her finger on a spindle and die.
However, the good fairy Lilac (one of the 7 good
fairies) manages to mitigate this curse, promising
that the Princess will not die but merely fall
into a deep sleep for 100 years, from which she
will then be awakened by the kiss of a handsome
Prince.
PRODUCTION SYNOPSIS FOR "THE
SLEEPING BEAUTY"
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In King Florestan XXIV�s castle
they are celebrating the christening of
the newborn Princess Aurora. The seven invited
fairies each bringing a gift and bestow
a blessing on the cradle.
Suddenly, the wicked Carrabosse
bursts in, offended at not being invited
to the christening.
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She curses the baby to prick
her finger on a spindle and die. To the relief
of the court the Lilac fairy has not yet given
her gift, and she pronounces that the Princess
will not die, but fall into a deep sleep from
which she can only be awakened by the kiss of
true love.
Sixteen years have gone by during
which every pin, thorn and spinning wheel has
been banished from the kingdom. The Princess has
grown into a beautiful girl. At her birthday ball
four Princes have arrived from around the world
to ask her hand in marriage. An old woman approaches
and gives her a gift that she has never seen before:
a spinning wheel. The Princess pricks her finger
and falls asleep. Throwing off the disguise of
an old woman, Carrabosse appears triumphant before
the court. The Lilac fairy arrives to keep her
promise, and causes a thick forest to grow up
around the palace, while everybody in it magically
falls asleep, to awaken only when the Princess
does.
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A hundred years go by,
and young Prince Desire makes a stop in
a clearing in the forest. While his entourage
plays, Desire stands aside. The Lilac fairy
appears to him and shows him a vision of
the sleeping Princess Aurora. Entranced,
Desire approaches, but as he does the vision
disappears. He begs the fairy to take him
to the Princess and follows her to the entrance
of the silent palace.
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Desire advances through
the frozen court to the Princess, at his
kiss she awakens, as does the rest of the
court.
Aurora�s wedding to Desire
is celebrated in the grand ballroom of the
palace. Finally, the happy couple dance
before proceeding to their wedding and happiness.
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FACTS ABOUT "THE SLEEPING
BEAUTY"
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"The Sleeping Beauty"
premiered in January 1890.
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It was the first successful
ballet composed by Tchaikovsky.
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"The Sleeping Beauty"
was the first ballet seen by a sickly 8
year old child named Anna Pavlova. After
the performance she decided that she wanted
to become a ballet dancer.
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"The Sleeping Beauty"
was the first ballet to launch the Royal
Ballet in the United States.
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The reopening performance
of the Royal Opera House, Convent Garden
in 1946 (following the end of the second
World War) was not an opera but a ballet
performance of "The Sleeping Beauty".
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The Sleeping Beauty performed by The Kiev
Ballet - Live from Kiev |
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