By Times Chronicle Staff
One of the world’s most famous classical ballets – Sleeping Beauty – is coming to Venables Theatre on Feb. 19. The ballet is featured in the repertoire of virtually every major ballet company in the world and this time will be performed by Ballet Jörgen the ballet company of Bengt Jörgen, an internationally renowned ballet dancer, choreographer, and artistic director.
After more than 25 successful years, Ballet Jörgen has created its own unique classical ballet rendition of Sleeping Beauty. This major ballet tells the enchanting story of Aurora and her prince complete with its inherently magical qualities and dazzling choreography.
The fairy tale about a young woman placed under a spell to sleep for a hundred years only to be awakened by a kiss is an easily accessible story that appeals both to a child’s imagination as well as holding a special place in the hearts of adults.
The underlying theme is the tension between the forces of good (the Lilac Fairy) and evil (Carabosse), serving as an important thread to the plot. Told in three acts, the ballet benefits from the character development and technical expertise for which Canada’s Ballet Jörgen is known.
Artistic Director and award-winning choreographer Bengt Jörgen focuses on the magical elements and the interpretation of the ballet as a nature allegory: The young woman represents nature, the wicked fairy is winter, who deadens life with pricks of frost until a young man, spring, cuts away the brambles to allow the sun to awaken sleeping nature.
Sleeping Beauty by Ballet Jörgen draws on the traditional choreography by Marius Petipa to spin a tale of nature and love that will inspire young and old alike.
The delightful story will be danced to the original 1890 score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set to a libretto based on Charles Perrault’s story La Belle au bois dormant.
In an ensemble with stunning costumes and captivating lighting design, Sleeping Beauty by Ballet Jörgen is sure to provide an evening of entertaining and inspiring live performance.
Sleeping Beauty will be performed at Venables Theatre in Oliver on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets – adults $50, students $25 – are available online at venablestheatre.ca
