Steven McRae as Prince Charming and Sarah Lamb as Princess Aurora
perform The First Awakening in Marius Petipa's Royal Ballet production
of The Sleeping Beauty.
The
Sleeping Beauty holds a special place in The Royal Ballet’s repertory.
It was the ballet with which the Company reopened the Royal Opera House
in 1946 after World War II, announcing its move from Sadler’s Wells to
Covent Garden. Margot Fonteyn danced the role of the beautiful princess
Aurora in the first performance, with Robert Helpmann as Prince
Florimund. Sixty years later, in 2006, the original 1946 staging was
revived, returning Oliver Messel’s wonderful designs and glittering
costumes to the stage once again.
Marius Petipa’s classic
19th-century choreography is combined with newly created sections by
Frederick Ashton, Anthony Dowell and Christopher Wheeldon. The ballet
contains many memorable moments, from the iconic Rose Adagio, when
Aurora meets her four royal suitors, to the vigorous hunting dances and
the famous waltz for Aurora and her Prince. Throughout, Pyotr Il’yich
Tchaikovsky’s score conveys passion and intensity.
perform The First Awakening in Marius Petipa's Royal Ballet production
of The Sleeping Beauty.
The
Sleeping Beauty holds a special place in The Royal Ballet’s repertory.
It was the ballet with which the Company reopened the Royal Opera House
in 1946 after World War II, announcing its move from Sadler’s Wells to
Covent Garden. Margot Fonteyn danced the role of the beautiful princess
Aurora in the first performance, with Robert Helpmann as Prince
Florimund. Sixty years later, in 2006, the original 1946 staging was
revived, returning Oliver Messel’s wonderful designs and glittering
costumes to the stage once again.
Marius Petipa’s classic
19th-century choreography is combined with newly created sections by
Frederick Ashton, Anthony Dowell and Christopher Wheeldon. The ballet
contains many memorable moments, from the iconic Rose Adagio, when
Aurora meets her four royal suitors, to the vigorous hunting dances and
the famous waltz for Aurora and her Prince. Throughout, Pyotr Il’yich
Tchaikovsky’s score conveys passion and intensity.
