The Sleeping Beauty

A magical tale of enchantment and awakening love

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The Sleeping Beauty Ballet

Origins and Music

The Sleeping Beauty ballet premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg on January 15, 1890. It represented a remarkable collaboration between choreographer Marius Petipa and composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The ballet was commissioned by Ivan Vsevolozhsky, director of the Imperial Theatres, who also wrote the libretto based on Charles Perrault's "La Belle au bois dormant" (The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood).

Tchaikovsky approached the score with immense dedication, working on it from 1888 to 1889. The music is notable for its symphonic development and sophisticated orchestration, establishing themes (leitmotifs) for major characters that weave throughout the ballet. The score runs nearly four hours in its complete form, making it one of the longest ballet compositions. Tchaikovsky considered it among his finest works, and its success helped establish ballet music as a serious artistic endeavor rather than merely accompaniment.

The Story

Prologue: The Christening

The story opens in a grand palace where King Florestan XIV and his queen are celebrating the christening of their daughter, Princess Aurora. The Master of Ceremonies, Catalabutte, reviews the guest list as preparations are made for the ceremony. Six fairy godmothers have been invited to bestow gifts upon the infant princess:

Just as the fairies complete their blessings, there's a commotion - the wicked fairy Carabosse arrives in a rage. She had been forgotten from the guest list, a terrible slight that demands vengeance. In a terrifying sequence, she pronounces her curse: on her 16th birthday, Aurora will prick her finger on a spindle and die. The court falls into despair, but the Lilac Fairy, who had wisely held back her gift, steps forward. While she cannot completely undo Carabosse's curse, she modifies it: instead of death, Aurora will fall into a deep sleep, along with the entire kingdom, until awakened by true love's kiss.

Act I: The Spell

Sixteen years later, the kingdom celebrates Aurora's birthday. Despite the king's decree banning all spindles and sharp objects from the kingdom, there's an underlying tension to the festivities. The scene opens with peasants dancing with garlands, and four princes arrive seeking Aurora's hand in marriage.

Aurora makes her entrance with the famous "Rose Adagio," where she dances with each of the princes in turn. This sequence requires extraordinary balance as she accepts a rose from each suitor while maintaining an attitude position (standing on one leg with the other extended). The dance represents Aurora's blossoming into womanhood and her first encounters with potential love.

During the celebrations, an old woman appears with a gift for Aurora - a spindle disguised within a bouquet of flowers. Despite all precautions, Carabosse's curse cannot be avoided. Aurora, having never seen a spindle before, is intrigued by it and pricks her finger. The old woman reveals herself as Carabosse, cackling in triumph as Aurora falls into a deep sleep. The Lilac Fairy appears and reminds the despairing court that Aurora will eventually awaken. She uses her magic to send the entire kingdom into slumber, causing vines and briars to grow around the castle, protecting it until the destined prince arrives.

Act II: The Vision and The Journey

A century passes. Prince Désiré is hunting with his courtiers in the forest near the forgotten castle. Separating from his companions, he encounters the Lilac Fairy, who shows him a vision of Aurora. In an ethereal sequence known as "The Vision Scene," Aurora dances tantalizingly just out of the prince's reach, making him fall deeply in love with her.

Convinced that Aurora is his destiny, Prince Désiré begs the Lilac Fairy to lead him to her. They journey to the castle through Carabosse's thorny barriers. The prince must battle Carabosse herself and her evil forces. With the Lilac Fairy's help, he defeats the wicked fairy, and Carabosse's power is broken forever. He finds Aurora lying in the castle and awakens her with a kiss. The entire court awakens with her, having not aged a day.

Act III: The Wedding

The final act is a grand celebration of Aurora and Désiré's wedding. This act is structured as a divertissement, where various fairy tale characters come to pay tribute to the couple. These typically include:

The centerpiece is the grand pas de deux between Aurora and Prince Désiré, celebrating their love and union. The ballet concludes with a grand finale where all the characters join in a mazurka, celebrating the triumph of good over evil and the power of true love.

Choreographic Development

Throughout each act, the choreography mirrors Aurora's development: from the innocence and joy of her birthday celebration, through the otherworldly beauty of the vision scene, to the mature radiance of her wedding day. The story's themes of fate, love, and the triumph of good over evil are expressed not just through the narrative but through the progression of dance styles and musical motifs that Petipa and Tchaikovsky so masterfully crafted.

This elegant structure has made The Sleeping Beauty not just a cornerstone of classical ballet repertoire, but also a model for how dance can tell a complex, emotionally resonant story through movement, music, and spectacle.

Impact on Dance and Cultural Significance

The Sleeping Beauty represents the pinnacle of classical ballet in the Imperial Russian style. Its choreography established numerous standards that continue to influence ballet technique and training. The Rose Adagio, in particular, remains a defining moment for any ballerina attempting the role of Aurora, requiring exceptional strength, grace, and control.

The ballet's premiere marked a turning point in dance history, solidifying the partnership between choreography and symphonic music. It demonstrated how complex musical structures could support and enhance classical dance, influencing future collaborations between composers and choreographers.

When Sergei Diaghilev presented The Sleeping Beauty in London in 1921, it helped establish ballet as a major art form in the West. The production, though financially unsuccessful at the time, had a lasting impact on British ballet tradition. The Royal Ballet, in particular, has maintained a special relationship with the work since its founding, considering it a cornerstone of their repertoire.

Modern Relevance

Today, The Sleeping Beauty continues to be performed by major companies worldwide, often serving as a benchmark for a company's artistic maturity and technical capability. Its demanding choreography, sophisticated music, and elaborate staging make it one of the most challenging and expensive productions to mount, yet its enduring appeal makes it a reliable audience favorite.

The ballet has proven remarkably adaptable, with various companies creating productions that reflect their own artistic and cultural perspectives while maintaining the core classical framework. Modern interpretations sometimes explore deeper themes within the story, such as the transition from childhood to adulthood, the nature of fate versus free will, and the power of redemption.

In many ways, The Sleeping Beauty represents the synthesis of 19th-century ballet at its height, combining French court dance heritage, Italian virtuosity, and Russian grandeur, while simultaneously pointing toward the musical and choreographic innovations of the 20th century. Its influence continues to resonate through contemporary ballet, making it not just a historical artifact but a living, evolving work of art.