Festival Ballet Providence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2004

Festival Ballet Providence, 401.353.1129

The Sleeping Beauty at VMA Arts & Cultural Center
April 23-25, 2004

Providence, RI - Festival Ballet Providence concludes its 26th Season on April 23-25, 2004 with one of the most enchanting ballet’s in the repertoire, The Sleeping Beauty. Based on the familiar “Mother Goose Tales”, The Sleeping Beauty has become an unsurpassed masterpiece of classical ballet, beloved round the world for its wonderful storytelling and its superlative choreography. Tchaikovsky’s score for The Sleeping Beauty is one of his most successful.

Festival Ballet Providence’s version will be synthesized from Marius Petipa’s original 1890 mammoth five hour, three-act production created for Russia’s famed Maryinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, into an edited, more manageable two-hour production with one intermission. Festival Ballet Providence Artistic Director Mihailo Djuric and Ballet Mistress Milica Bijelic will collaborate to stage the work after that of Petipa, with special attention to retelling the story with prologue, three acts and apotheosis, showcasing the revered choreography, and maintaining the integrity of the dancing. This will be a dynamic and engaging production with a total of 43+ performers including one original company member, Ann Beretta Morsilli, involved in the production. To enhance the grandeur of this audience favorite, Mr. Djuric will borrow magnificent scenery and costumes for the production, from Louisville Ballet.

The ballet tells the familiar story that begins with the christening of King Florestan’s newborn daughter, the Princess Aurora. Six fairies are invited and each bestows upon her their gifts for a full life: honesty, beauty, prosperity, lovely voice, authority and wisdom (or beauty, grace, generosity, song and temperament). Carabosse, an-ill tempered fairy enters, insulted at not having been invited, and lets her anger be known by casting a spell on the young princess. Once she becomes a beautiful young woman, she will prick her finger on a spindle and die. The Lilac Fairy intercedes, and diminishes Carabosse’s curse, so that the princess will instead sleep until the kiss of true, devoted love wakes her. At Princess Aurora’s 20th birthday, Carabosse, in disguise, smuggles in the spindle, the Princess pricks her finger and the entire court falls into a deep slumber that lasts 100 years. At last, a prince of true heart, aided by the Lilac Fairy, delivers the kiss that revives Princess Aurora and the court. The final scene is the celebration dance at their wedding.

The Sleeping Beauty has been the inspiration for many dance careers since its creation in 1890, and a building block in developing an appreciation for classical ballet. An eight year old Anna Pavlova was inspired to be a dancer at her first performance, The Sleeping Beauty; George Balanchine danced in early productions; and Margot Fonteyn became renowned in the U.S. as Princess Aurora when the Sadler Wells Ballet premiered The Sleeping Beauty in New York in 1949, a role she had created ten years earlier with the company at age 19.

Similarly, Mr. Djuric hopes this ballet will be the turning point for a number of budding young dancers in the audience. “Like so many others before me, I found my lifelong love for dance at the theater at an early age, seeing a performance that seemed like another world to me. It is my hope in staging this magnificent ballet that it, and others in Festival Ballet Providence’s growing repertoire, inspire a whole new generation of dancers and dance patrons.”

Initial casting of principal characters includes Karla Kovatch as Princess Aurora, Gleb Lyamenkoff as Prince Desiré, Frank Campisano as King Florestan, Beth Reilly as His Queen, Ms. Bijelic and Mr. Djuric sharing the role of Carabosse, Carolyn Dellinger and Beth Petkus sharing the role of the Lilac Fairy, Leticia Guerrero and Jennifer Ricci sharing the role of Princess Florine, Eivar Sair and Davide Vittorino sharing the role of Blue Bird, and Mark Fleisher as Cantalbutte, the Master of Ceremonies.

Four performances open to the public will take place at the VMA Arts & Cultural Center in Providence, Rhode Island, April 23 -25, on Friday at 7:30 pm, on Saturday at 2:30 and 7:30 pm and on Sunday at 2:30 pm.

Reserved tickets for performances are priced from $16 to $51. Opening night theater-goers receive a $5.00 discount off regular ticket prices. To purchase tickets, contact one of the following: tickets.com online or call 800.919.6272; the VMA Box Office Thursday and Fridays, 401.272.4862: Festival Ballet Providence, 825 Hope Street, Providence, 401.353.1129.

The Festival Ballet Providence and the Festival Ballet Providence Center for Dance Education are together a not-for-profit arts organization whose EIN is 05-0377245 and whose Rhode Island Corporate ID number is ND-27-137.

Festival Ballet Providence will offer a special Discover Dance performance of The Sleeping Beauty for school groups Friday April 23rd at 10:00 am. For further details to reserve seating, schools and PTA/PTO members are encouraged to call Festival Ballet Providence, 401.353.1129.

The Sleeping Beauty was last performed by Festival Ballet Providence in 1997, as staged by co-founder Winthrop Corey.