Sleeping Beauty presented by Moscow Festival Ballet March 24, 2011

Sleeping Beauty, a crowning jewel of Marius Petipa's career, is often considered the finest achievement of the Classical ballet. It is a grandiose and refined blending of the traditional mime, expressive pas d'action and spectacular divertissements in a lavish theatrical setting. Tchaikovsky was delighted with the invitation to write the music for a ballet based on Charles Perrault's well-known fairy tale. 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 been adopted worldwide, and performance of the leading role remains a kind of initiation rite for aspiring ballerinas.

Official Website: http://www.uky.edu/scfa