Little Sleeping Beauty
Details
In Brief
Following the success of Little Swan Lake, the show titled Little Sleeping Beauty, an inroductory version of Sleeping Beauty also made its way to the stage. With the "Little" series, the OPERA wishes to engage children in the magical world of ballet as early as possible. In Little Sleeping Beauty, a narrator prepares the story that is to be told in the special language of ballet on stage, where students of the Hungarian National Ballet Institute can familiarize themselves with the process of creating theatre, ballet and shows in a professional setting, alongside professional partners, and they can practise their art “for real”. This also gives opportunity for parents to gain more understanding of their children’s activities. The text of the narration was written by Dorottya Szendrődy, the dance history and etiquette teacher of the Hungarian National Ballet Institute. Little Sleeping Beauty, if not in such detail as the original Sleeping Beauty ballet, covers the entire plot from beginning to end.
Parental guidance
Events
Premiere: May 6, 2023
Synopsis
Part One
Prologue
We are in the royal court. The king has been blessed with a baby daughter, who is given the name Aurora, though many affectionately call her Sleeping Beauty. The palace household is preparing for the newborn’s christening. The little girl was born after a long wait, so the joy of the royal couple is especially great. Guests arrive one after another, among them the benevolent Lilac Fairy, accompanied by five other fairies. They shower Aurora with good wishes: may she be pure, beautiful, cheerful, healthy, and have a lovely voice.
The joyful celebration, however, suddenly takes on an ominous tone: Carabosse, the evil fairy, appears with her monsters. She is deeply offended, as she was not invited to the christening. She casts a curse on the child: at the age of sixteen, Aurora will prick her finger on a spindle and die. The parents and the entire court are devastated. Then the Lilac Fairy rises above Carabosse with all her power. Although she cannot completely erase the curse, she can soften it: from the prick of the spindle, Aurora will only fall asleep. She will sleep for a long time (one hundred years) and the curse can be broken by the kiss of a prince. Carabosse and her entourage storm off in rage, and the king issues a command: throughout his entire realm, all needles and spindles are to be destroyed.
Act I
Sixteen years pass. Aurora is no longer a little girl; she has grown into a wonderfully beautiful young maiden. Guests arrive for the birthday ball, which is traditionally opened with a waltz.
The celebrant herself enters the hall surrounded by her friends and ladies-in-waiting. The entire court admires her: day after day they are enchanted by the girl’s charm. The young princess has always loved birthdays, but the sixteenth is special even for her: she is almost an adult, planning her life and her future, and now she is happy, seeing that everyone loves her and showers her with kindness. In her joy, what else would she do but dance?
Carabosse, in disguise, manages to enter the ballroom and presents a bouquet of flowers to the celebrant, who happily accepts it. She does not suspect that the spindle is hidden within the bouquet. She pricks her finger, and the curse is fulfilled. Seeing the boundless grief of the royal couple, the Lilac Fairy makes a wise decision: she puts everyone to sleep—the entire court. Thus they do not suffer; they sleep together with Aurora.
Part Two
Act II
One hundred years pass. Aurora and the entire court sleep on, the palace covered in ivy and cobwebs, wrapped in endless silence. A prince from a distant land arrives in the forest beside the palace to hunt. He is surrounded by the spirits of the forest, the nymphs. The Lilac Fairy appears as well and shows him the way to Sleeping Beauty. Carabosse, of course, makes another attempt to prevent Aurora from being awakened, but the prince triumphs over her. With every obstacle removed, he easily passes through the dense vegetation and kisses the sleeping princess. The curse is broken; the girl and the entire court awaken.
Act III
We are once again in the royal palace, where the wedding and festivities of the young couple begin. This time the opening dance is a polonaise. Then the Lilac Fairy arrives, without her, Aurora and the entire household could not now be so happy. In her graceful movements, she once again expresses her goaod wishes.
Aurora’s favorites take part in the celebration, many well-known fairy-tale characters from elsewhere: Gulliver arrives, bringing along his dear little dwarfs from Lilliput; Puss in Boots appears this time with a pretty cat girl; Cinderella also greets Aurora and her beloved. Glittering jewels continue the greetings: sapphire, silver, gold, and diamond sparkle on their costumes. After Princess Florina and the Bluebird, Little Red Riding Hood enters, followed by the wolf. Their story, fortunately, will have a happy ending this time, and they celebrate together with the others.
When everyone has gathered, the Lilac Fairy leads in the beautiful bride and the gallant groom. Over the years, the little girl has grown into an adult. As the climax of the performance, the young couple dances their enchanting pas de deux, showing their love and their unity. What else could the story end with but a grand celebration? Unclouded joy fills the stage as everyone celebrates the triumph of good and of love, and a whirlwind finale dance begins.
Media
Reviews
"It is a remarkably tough technical challenge for children to perform, especially the older ones, but it was marvellous to see how they all tackled the choreography so fearlessly and so successfully, and with such a clear understanding of the classical style required of them."
Jonathan Gray, Bachtrack