Boston Ballet Presents Marius Petipa's THE SLEEPING BEAUTY

Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen announces the Boston Ballet presentation of the beloved fairytale The Sleeping Beauty by Marius Petipa with additional choreography by Sir Frederick Ashton. Hailed as one of the Company's trademark works, this quintessential production features a soaring score by Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky, performed live by the Boston Ballet Orchestra, and sumptuous sets and costumes by Emmy Award-winning designer David Walker. The Sleeping Beauty runs May 25-June 4 at the Citizens Bank Opera House.

"It has been five years since the Company performed this adored classical ballet, and I am thrilled to present it to both new audiences and those who know and treasure this production," said Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. "The Sleeping Beauty is a large part of ballet history and Boston Ballet's history. I look forward to seeing our dancers perform the elegant choreography and watch a new generation of dancers tell this timeless tale."

Dancers debuting in leading roles include Chisako Oga as Princess Aurora, Derek Dunn and Sangmin Lee as Prince Desiré. The Sleeping Beauty begins with the christening of Princess Aurora. Fairies are invited to bestow gifts on the young princess, except for the Fairy Carabosse who is forgotten. She is outraged and announces the princess will prick her finger on a spindle and die. The Lilac Fairy softens Carabosse's curse, so Aurora will not die but shall sleep for 100 years until awakened by a prince's kiss. A century later, Prince Desiré is led to the castle by the Lilac Fairy where he kisses Princess Aurora and breaks the spell. The ballet concludes with a grand wedding celebration attended by fairytale characters.

The Sleeping Beauty has a rich history in ballet. A collaboration between Petipa and Tchaikovsky, The Sleeping Beauty premiered January 15, 1890 at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was Nicolai Sergeyev, a former regisseur of the Mariinsky and assistant to Petipa, who brought The Sleeping Beauty to the West. Sergeyev left Russia in 1918 after the October Revolution and took with him notebooks containing choreographic notations for about two dozen ballets. He staged Petipa's production of The Sleeping Beauty for the first time in 1921 for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, and again mounted the ballet in 1939 for Ninette de Valois and the Vic-Wells Ballet, which would ultimately become The Royal Ballet.

After World War II, The Sleeping Beauty reopened the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden on February 20, 1946. De Valois oversaw the production, which included her choreography and that of Sir Frederick Ashton. In 1977, de Valois revived The Sleeping Beauty, commissioning David Walker to design new sets and costumes, which Boston Ballet purchased in 1992. This version premiered at Boston Ballet in 2005 and was subsequently performed in 2009, 2013, 2017, and 2018.

Marius Petipa (1818-1910), considered the "father of classical ballet," danced and choreographed for the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia for nearly 60 years. He choreographed and re-staged numerous classical ballets that remain a staple in the repertoire of every major ballet company in the world, including The Nutcracker, Giselle, Le Corsaire, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, La Bayadère, Raymonda, and Coppélia, among others. Petipa's ballets utilized the corps de ballet, which had previously only been used as an ornamental frame for solos. He also restructured the classical pas de deux into three sections: the adagio, the male and female solo variations, and the coda; some of his finest pas de deux are on display in The Sleeping Beauty.

Ninette de Valois (1898-2001) founded Vic-Wells Ballet in 1931, which later became The Royal Ballet. She served as director until 1963 and director of The Royal Ballet School until 1970. De Valois hired Sir Frederick Ashton (1904-1988) as resident choreographer in 1938; he succeeded de Valois as director in 1963 and retired in 1970. Ashton trained with Léonide Massine and Marie Rambert and made his choreographic debut in 1926 with A Tragedy of Fashion for Rambert Ballet. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential dance figures of the 20th century and his choreography developed a signature English style characterized by lyrical dancing, épaulement (carriage of the head and shoulders), and nimble footwork.

All 12 performances of The Sleeping Beauty will take place at the Citizens Bank Opera House (539 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111):
Thursday, May 25 at 7:30 pm
Friday, May 26 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, May 27 at 1:30 and 7:30 pm
Sunday, May 28 at 1:30 pm
Tuesday, May 30 at 7:30 pm
Wednesday, May 31 at 7:30 pm
Thursday, Jun 1 at 7:30 pm
Friday, Jun 2 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, Jun 3 at 1:30 and 7:30 pm
Sunday, Jun 4 at 1:30 pm

Tickets start at $39. For more information, visit bostonballet.org or call 617.695.6955. The Sleeping Beauty is approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes with two intermissions.

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