The Sleeping Beauty Ballet a Treat for the Cold Weary
By Teri Stein
February 2, 2014
394
Summary: What happens when you put the put the Performing Arts Center at Kent State Tuscarawas together with The Nureyev State Ballet Theater of Russia? Could it be magic?
Though it was postponed due to frigid temperatures from January 28 to January 30, a crowd of more than 500 attended the performance of The Sleeping Beauty Ballet at the Performing Arts Center at Kent State Tuscarawas in New Philadelphia. The audience was a mix of women, girls, and a surprisingly large number of men.
A beloved and familiar tale for most, The Sleeping Beauty ballet, which dates back to 1890, told the story of Princess Aurora who falls prey to the evil plot of The Wicked Fairy Carabosse and the efforts of Prince Désiré to rescue her.
The music of Tchaikovsky with elegant detailed costumes for the men and delicate romantic styles for the women along with the beautiful crisp movements of the members of The Nureyev State Ballet Theater of Russia swept the audience into a faraway – and definitely warmer – land.
The ballet opened with a prologue, the birth of the Princess Aurora was being celebrated at the palace of King Florestan XIV. An opulent floor to ceiling backdrop of the inside of the castle featured multiple balconies and statues of cherubs. Eight dancers in elaborate 18th century style dresses and costumes complete with men in white wigs and breeches took the stage for the celebration.
Then one by one, the Lilac Fairy, in a beautiful traditional style tutu in a lovely shade of lavender, and her suite of good fairies, enter the party and fill the stage to share in everyones delight of the new princess.
Just when everyone is having a good time and the audience was thoroughly enjoying the performance, evil sweeps in to the party in the form of The Wicked Fairy Carabosse, a homely woman who is played by a man in a black dress, and her troop of four fairies in black costumes with Batman-like hoods. The Wicked Fairy puts a curse on the new baby which comes to pass in Act I, when the Princess, at her 16th birthday party, pricks her finger on a knitting spindle and falls into a deep sleep. Only the intervention of the Lilac Fairy prevents the Princess from dying.
In Act II Scene 1, a colorful outdoor backdrop is used as the Prince spends time in the royal park and thanks to the Lilac Fairy sees a vision of the lovely Princess Aurora dancing in a stunning white tutu with silvery trim and bodice. Scene 2 and the Epilogue occur inside the castle and include the delightful happy ending to the story as Prince Désiré awakens the Princess with a kiss and they marry. (This is not really a spoiler because who doesnt know this story?)
Stories in ballet do not move fast but they are so beautiful to watch that the more than two hour show, not including the intermission, just flew by. One of the highlights of the evening, as evident from the enthusiastic applause, was when the Princess Aurora, with assistance in turning from the male dancers, demonstrated an en pointe pirouette. She held the move perfectly for so long that it seemed we could be watching a dancer on a music box.
The powerful and precisely performed movements of the male dancers, especially the dancing of Prince Désiré, provided another wow factor with impressive leaps and turns in the air.
Well into their fourth season at the PAC, Im still amazed by the fact that we can see these kinds of world acclaimed productions in our own backyard. Watching this wonderful show left me with the same giddy feeling I had as a child performing self-taught ballet moves at night in the reflection of our large TV room windows.
In this production of The Sleeping Beauty ballet the dancers, costumes, sets and music all came together to create a perfect storm (though thankfully not a snow storm) of entertainment.
