The Sleeping Beauty was the first of Petipa's
classics to be seen in Western Europe. Under
the title The Sleeping Princess, it was presented by Serge Diaghilev (1872-1929) in London
in 1921. In 1939, it was remounted in Great
Britain and has been considered the foundation of the Classical ballet repertory in that
country ever since. It has now been adopted
worldwide, and performance of the leading
role remains a kind of initiation rite for aspiring ballerinas.
ture. The Sleeping Beauty was choreographed
in strict association with Tchaikovsky's music.
There are themes developed and resumed
throughout the ballet, and each act is a unity
unto itself. Tchaikovsky willingly took instruction from Petipa as to the length tempo and
character of each musical sequence (as he
would also do in The Nutcracker). The themes
- a young girl's coming of age and the triumph of good over evil are developed dramatically and musically during the course of
the ballet. Each of the three acts includes an
Adagio for Princess Aurora, the first celebrating her girlhood, the second her falling in
love, and the third her marriage. In these pas
d'actions, Petipa makes fuller use than previous choreographers of the dramatic potential of the Classical ballet, as when Aurora's
curved (questioning) attitudes become sharp
(exclamatory) arabesques and her balances
grow steadily surer.
PROLOGUE
The Sleeping Beauty is a supreme demonstration of the challenge of Petipa's style - steel
point work, sharply accented spinning turns,
soaring leaps, high extensions, brilliant battery (beats in the air), daring lifts and, in addition, it gives a fairy tale plot lavish stage
treatment. However, its production actually
checked a growing tendency toward shapeless extravaganza in 19th century ballet,
adhering closely to the principle of choreographic symphonism—like the composition
of a symphony, it had a certain formal struc-
48
February
King Florestan the XIVth declares a grand
christening ceremony to be held in honor
of the birth of his daughter, Princess Aurora
named after the dawn. An entourage of six
fairies are invited to the Christening to be godmothers to the child. They are the Candide
Fairy, the Coulante Fairy, the Miettes Fairy,
the Canari Fairy, the Violente Fairy and—most
importantly—the Lilac Fairy, who is the last
to arrive. As the fairies are happily granting
gifts of honesty, grace, prosperity, song and
generosity, they are suddenly interrupted by
the arrival of the wicked fairy Carabosse, who
is furious at the King's failure to invite her to
the ceremony. The King and Queen begin to
remonstrate, and the Master of Ceremonies,
Catallabutte, intervenes to take responsibility, whereupon Carabosse rips off his wig,
2015 INSIGHT