Fairy tales stay with us. From time time we are children, we know that these magical tales of princes and princesses, royal balls, and true love live not just in the telling but in the imagination. Reality gives way to fantasy, and anything is possible. Now imagine seeing that magical story — the favorite one you lay in bed thinking about — unfolding before your eyes with real people, beautiful sets, and gorgeous costumes. Now add in some ballet, and it’s a playground for the childlike imagination.
The Sleeping Beauty, premiering at the Virginia Theatre, is making a fantasy a possibility.
Directed by Deanna Doty, The Sleeping Beauty will the next ballet to charm Champaign-Urbana dance lovers when it takes the Virginia Theater stage on May 3rd. A press release for the ballet explains the action thusly:
Follow the story of Princess Aurora being cast into a hundred-year sleep by the spell of the evil fairy Carabosse, and through the enchantments of the Lilac Fairy, is awakened by the bearer of true love’s first kiss — Prince Desire.
The story harkens back to the beauty of the original tale, but the elaborate costuming used for this ballet is what will make reality and fantasy magically collide.
Designed by Doty, the costumes will resemble the dressing style worn by King Louis XIV. With 100 costumes already created for the performance, over 60 more were constructed specifically for this production.
The Sleeping Beauty is known for its overall excellence of staging and dancing and is considered one of Tchaikovsky’s masterpieces. The C-U Ballet last performed the masterpiece in 2011, but the upcoming production — with its entirely new wardrobe, 140 roles, and the inclusion of fairy courts and a mass of trained and talented dancers — will be bigger and better.
The Sleeping Beauty is a childhood dream come true. So be sure to take a date or loved one to witness the beauty of the production this May 3rd or 4th at the Virginia Theatre.