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Sarah Hart
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Ballet
Citi Performing Arts Center - Wang Theatre
United States
Massachusetts
Boston, MA

Boston Ballet presents "Sleeping Beauty" (April 24th- May 3rd. Boston, MA)

by Sarah Hart
April 24, 2009
Citi Performing Arts Center - Wang Theatre
270 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02116-5692
617-482-9393
THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN OF
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY

the Acclaimed Classic and Audience Favorite Takes the Boston Stage This Spring

BOSTON, MA - March 25, 2009 - Boston Ballet lights the stage this spring with the acclaimed classic and audience favorite, The Sleeping Beauty, April 24-May 3 at the Citi Wang Theatre. Marius Petipa's version of The Sleeping Beauty, set to Tchaikovsky's brilliant score, is a tour de force of classical dancing.

The Sleeping Beauty is derived from the "Mother Goose" tale by Charles Perrault. It's the magical fairytale of good, evil, true love, and a spellbound princess who sleeps for 100 years and is awakened by the kiss of a handsome prince. Petipa's choreography is perfected with David Walker's sets and costumes, which originated with The Royal Ballet. Boston Ballet premiered this version in 2005.

"This Sleeping Beauty is the most exquisite in the world, and I am excited to share it with Boston audiences once again," said Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. "Its clean choreography will showcase Boston Ballet's superb technique and artistry. The tradition, emotion and atmosphere created by the dancing, costumes and sets have made audiences fall in love again and again."

The story of The Sleeping Beauty has a rich history in ballet. It was Nicholas Sergeyev, a former regisseur of the Maryinsky and assistant to Marius Petipa, who brought The Sleeping Beauty to the West. Sergeyev left Russia in 1918 after the October Revolution, and took with him notebooks containing choreographic notations for 21 ballets. He staged Petipa's production of The Sleeping Beauty for the first time in 1921 for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, and again mounted the ballet in 1939 for Ninette de Valois and the Vic-Wells Ballet, which would ultimately become The Royal Ballet.

In 1946, it reopened the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. Ninette de Valois oversaw the production, and included choreography by de Valois and Frederick Ashton. The production caught the imagination of British audiences and was beloved wherever the company traveled. In 1977, de Valois revived The Sleeping Beauty, commissioning David Walker to design new sets and costumes. Upon seeing the production, critic Arlene Croce wrote, "Beauty has been reborn."

Since 1977 several different versions of The Sleeping Beauty have been performed by The Royal Ballet. Nissinen believes Petipa's is a production worth preserving and honoring. "Boston Ballet is thrilled to own David Walker's costumes and sets and to reunite them with Petipa's spectacular choreography," said Nissinen. "This is my favorite Sleeping Beauty - a classic with a pure, unique perspective - the best version out there."

When Boston Ballet premiered The Sleeping Beauty in 2005, The Boston Globe raved, "The Sleeping Beauty is the greatest challenge in the classical repertory. Boston Ballet met and conquered that challenge last night, in the most luminous performance of "Beauty" I've seen the company give in its 41-year history."

All performances are held at the Citi Performing Arts CenterSM Wang Theatre.

A brief synopsis of The Sleeping Beauty is attached.

Schedule of Performances for The Sleeping Beauty
Thursday, April 23 and May 30 at 7pm
Friday, April 24 and May 1 at 8pm
Saturday, April 25 and May 2 at 2pm and 8pm
Sunday, April 26 and May 3 at 2pm

The Sleeping Beauty
Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Additional Choreography: Sir Frederick Ashton
Production: Ninette de Valois (after Nicholas Sergeyev's 1939 production)
Set and Costume Design: David Walker

Tickets
Tickets for The Sleeping Beauty can be purchased by phone at 866.348.9738, online at www.citicenter.org, or in person at the Citi Performing Arts CenterSM box office, located at 270 Tremont Street in Boston's Theatre District, open Monday - Saturday from 10am - 6pm. Prices for season ballets start at $25. Discounted group tickets (10 or more) are available by calling Boston Ballet's Group Sales at 617.456.6343. Rush tickets are available. Contact the Boston Ballet box office at 617.695.6955 or visit www.bostonballet.org for details.

About Boston Ballet
Founded in 1963, Boston Ballet is one of the leading dance companies in North America. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen, the Company maintains an internationally acclaimed repertoire of classical, neo-classical and contemporary works, ranging from full-length story ballets to new works by some of today's finest choreographers.

Boston Ballet's second company, Boston Ballet II, is made up of pre-professional dancers who gain experience by performing with Boston Ballet and as an independent group, presenting lecture-demonstrations and unique programs to audiences throughout the Northeast. The Boston Ballet Center for Dance Education is the largest ballet school in North America. In service of its mission to bring the highest quality arts education to all, it reaches and instructs more than 10,000 students of all ages each year through Boston Ballet School, Summer Dance Workshop, Summer Dance Program, Citydance, Taking Steps, and Adaptive Dance. The wide array of dance education programs are held at four major ballet studio locations, in community centers, and throughout the Boston Public Schools.
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