The Sleeping Beauty

Ballet-féerie in three acts
Libretto: Ivan Wsevolozhsky after Charles Perrault
World premiere: 3 January 1890, Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Petersburg
Premiere of this production: 31 May 1973, Bolshoi Ballet, Moscow
Polish premiere of this production: 17 December 1996, Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera, Warsaw

One hundred years of Sleeping Beauty’s dream falls between the first and the second act, thanks to which – let us state it clearly – the audience members are in no danger of joining the eponymous heroine. While working on a variation of Perrault’s fairy tale, choreographer Marius Petipa and Pyotr Tchaikovsky met for the first time. The cooperation was excellent: Petipa managed, Tchaikovsky created. The ballet was tailored to the tastes of the tsarist court: a pretext of action, a powerful team of performers, and dancers required not only to command excellent technique, but also maintain a strong physical condition. The Sleeping Beauty entered the core canon of all major ballet stages in the world. The choreography of Yury Grigorovich, the legendary ballet master and director of Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet, emphasizes the classic grace of the original, and moreover, it gives the soloists a wonderful opportunity to present their craft. Delicious pas de deux! The piece ends with an apotheosis – the royal couple bless the young, although it is really about the essence of ballet.

Polish National Ballet
Orchestra of the Polish National Opera