Houston Ballet to Present THE SLEEPING BEAUTY, 2/25-3/6

From February 25 - March 6, 2016, in celebration of Artistic Director Emeritus Ben Stevenson's 80th birthday, Houston Ballet will revive his spectacular staging of The Sleeping Beauty. The ballet is a flagship work for the company and a piece that is recognized as one of the supreme achievements of classical ballet. The Sleeping Beauty is based on the classic French fairy tale 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. Houston Ballet will give nine performances of The Sleeping Beauty at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston. Tickets may be purchased by calling 713 227 2787 or by visiting www.houstonballet.org.

"The Sleeping Beauty is a wonderful way to honor Ben's 80th birthday as it has always been a treasured ballet classic and an audience favorite. Ben created an incredible legacy during his 27-year tenure at Houston Ballet, taking it from a regional troupe to the nation's fifth-largest company. During that time he created memorable new works, such as The Sleeping Beauty, that remain an inspiration and an example of what great ballet can be. In every way, we strive to meet the high standards he set," said Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch.

The Sleeping Beauty was first performed at the Maryinsky Theatre on January 16, 1890, bringing together two seminal figures of ballet history, the composer Peter Tchaikovsky and choreographer Marius Petipa, utilizing a scenario created by Petipa and Ivan Vsevolojosky. The work is considered the climax of the czarist ballet culture of the nineteenth century, a golden period in ballet history. Writing in The New Yorker in 1973, critic Andrew Porter observed, "The Petipa-Tchaikovsky Sleeping Beauty, first performed in St. Petersburg in 1890, is the grandest, fullest, and finest achievement of Classical ballet - its 'definitive statement' and an enduring inspiration to later choreographers. Balanchine, Ashton, and Kenneth MacMillan all proclaim their debt to the inventions of Petipa."

In 1990, Ben Stevenson created a lavish new production of The Sleeping Beauty in honor of its centenary, drawing upon his notes of the famous 1939 staging of the work for the Sadler's Wells (later Royal Ballet) by Nicholas Sergeyev, a Russian ballet master who left Russia after the October Revolution with Stepanov notation of 21 of the Maryinsky ballet productions. Dame Margot Fonteyn, the celebrated British ballerina who was one of the greatest exemplars of the leading female role of Aurora in the twentieth century, coached Houston Ballet dancers for the 100th anniversary production. Desmond Heeley's lavish scenery and costumes for this production were inspired in part by Oliver Messel's celebrated, much beloved 1946 production of The Sleeping Beauty for the Sadler's Wells (later Royal Ballet).

With regard to the challenges it presents to dancers, CultureMap arts critic Tedd Bale noted "Musicians have Beethoven's Ninth, actors have Hamlet, and dancers have The Sleeping Beauty. The latter is the not only the epitome of the Russian imperial era in dance, but remains to this day the greatest test of strength, endurance, and artistry of any ballet company." (March 11, 2011)

Principal dancer Sara Webb, who has tackled the demanding role of Princess Aurora several times, stated, "Of all the ballets out there, The Sleeping Beauty is the purest classical ballet. It is the ballet every girl grows up learning, without realizing she is learning it, because it embodies everything she has been doing since her first ballet class."

The ballet version of The Sleeping Beauty, like the fairy tale, 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 fairy tale's - 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.

Houston Ballet's performances of The Sleeping Beauty are generously sponsored by Chevron, Sidley Austin LLP, and DLS Event Services.

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