Universal Ballet

The Sleeping Beauty

World Premiere Mariinsky Ballet at the Mariinsky Theater, Russia on January 16, 1890
Universal Ballet Premiere The Grand Theater, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on June 23, 1994
Choreography Marius Petipa, Konstantin Sergeyev
Additional Choreography Oleg Vinogradov
Music Peter I. Tchaikovsky
Staging Natalina Spitsyna
Set Design Simon Pastukh
Costume Design Galina Solovyeva
Lighting Design Nakchoen Kang
Composition 4 scenes and 3 acts
Running Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Everyone knows the story of The Sleeping Beauty.

The Sleeping Beauty was first produced at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia on January 16, 1890. One of the three great ballet scores produced from the collaboration between Tchaikovsky and Petipa, it is a work on the grandest scale of classical ballet. Throughout the early 20th century, budgetary considerations prompted the creation of shorter versions presented at the Paris Opera, New York and elsewhere. 


In the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s a new production of the full-length version emerged as the signature piece of England’s Royal Ballet. Universal Ballet’s version, staged by Natalia Spitsyna and directed by Oleg Vinogradov, is based on the Petipa/Kirov original, and very similar to the version performed by the Kirov Ballet in the 1980’s and 90’s, but as is the case with many of the great classics, it has been shortened to match the pace of modern life. In this version, the prologue, portraying the Princess Aurora’s christening, has been shortened to a brief vignette, introducing the baby princess, the fairies who were invited to bless her, and the angry Carabosse, whose invitation had been overlooked. The solos danced by the fairies, originally in the prologue, are presented in the final act, as part of her wedding celebration, in remembrance of the events of her babyhood and in tribute to the fine lady she has grown to be. Universal Ballet first presented the Sleeping Beauty in 1994 to commemorate its 10th anniversary.

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