Lilac Fairy steps forward. Waving her wand
soothingly, she reminds them that the Princess will only sleep and she casts everyone
into deep slumber along with her. The Lilac
Fairy summons a forest of thorns, thickets,
and enormous shrubbery to grow around the
sleeping court.
--Intermission--
ACT II
Scene One: The Vision
Act II takes us to a neighboring kingdom 100
years later. Prince Charming and his lord and
lady friends are out for a hunt. The cheerful
retinue amuse themselves with dances and
games, but the Prince is tired of everyday diversions and stays behind to wander about
alone. Suddenly the Lilac Fairy floats in on a
boat with gossamer sails. She offers to show
the melancholy Prince a vision of Aurora. The
Prince is utterly enchanted by the sight of
the Princess dancing lyrically and romantically amidst a tableau of fairies and nymphs,
bathed in a bluish light. He pursues her but
can only hold the Princess in his arms for a
moment before she eludes him and disappears. She is after all only a spectral image
conjured up by the Lilac Fairy. The Fairy offers
to take the Prince across the lake, through the
dense and tangled forest, to the castle where
the real Princess lies asleep.
Scene Two: The Awakening
The Prince approaches the canopied bed set
on a high platform and, as the music heightens, he plants the awakening kiss. Aurora
greets him. The King and Quenn appear from
either side of the stage and welcome the
awakened Aurora and her Prince with joy.
INSIGHT
ACT III
The Wedding
The final act ushers us into a sumptuous hall,
graced with statuesque columns and a circular gold staircase crowned by a blue sky. It is
here that the Royal wedding of Prince Charming and Princess Aurora will take place. A full
series of celebratory divertissements is performed by the inhabitants of fairyland. Puss
'n Boots, Bluebeard and his wife, Goldilocks
and a Bear, Little Red Riding Hood and the
Wolf all dance. A highlight is the pas de deux
of the soaring Blue Bird and his Princess. First
dancing together and then separately, they
compete with each other spinning and fluttering in sparkling flight, sometimes jumping so high they seem virtually suspended
in the air. The man's variation in particular,
which features many beating jumps while he
arches his body backwards and forward (brises voles) is one of the most famous and demanding in the international repertory. The
Bluebird's Dance ends with the female lifted
on the male's shoulder. The celebration then
climaxes with the Grand Pas de Deux danced
by the Prince and Princess. They are regal, formal and confident dancing together. Prince
Charming supports his bride's pirouettes and
displays her long extensions and secure balances. The Prince jumps and spins during his
solo and the Princess spins on pointe with
even surer mastery than she showed in the
Rose Adagio. Finally, Aurora whirls into the
Prince's arms and dives toward the floor; the
Prince catches her around the waist and supports her in the famous inverted pose known
as the fish dive. All join the bride and groom
for a spirited mazurka and the Lilac Fairy,
standing in their midst, bestows her blessing
on the happy couple. ✤
February 2015
51