Bring the whole family to Ballet Philippines' The Sleeping Beauty

MANILA, Philippines - From Dec. 2 to 11, Ballet Philippines (BP) will perform one of the most beloved classical ballets, The Sleeping Beauty, at the CCP Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater). Perfect for the whole family, it will have 17 performances, including 13 matinees at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., where children as young as three years old can watch. Tickets range from P200 to P600 on matinees, and student and senior citizen discounts apply.

Audiences of all ages will delight in the familiar music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, which was used in the 1959 Disney cartoon. Songs such as Once Upon A Dream and Hail to the Princess Aurora, and soundtrack themes such as the battle scene and the bright and perky melody introducing the fairies are straight from Tchaikovsky’s score.

The Sleeping Beauty first premiered in 1890 at the Maryiinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia. Based on Charles Perrault’s fairy tale, the ballet’s music was composed by the great Tchaikovsky, and was choreographed by Marius Petipa, the duo behind Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.

The ballet begins with the royal christening of the infant Princess Aurora, with her fairy godmothers bestowing gifts upon her. The festivities come to a sudden halt when the dark fairy Carabosse arrives, furious because she was not invited. She curses the princess and dooms her to prick her finger and die. The good fairies protect her only enough to soften the curse, and instead promise 100 years of sleep, which will only be broken by the kiss of true love.

The kingdom spends the next years protecting the Princess Aurora from her fate, but the evil Carabosse is determined to cast her spell. The good fairies, led by the Lilac Fairy, shine their light on the whole kingdom, and ensure that the princess and the whole kingdom get their happy ever after.

With opulent sets and costumes, and beautiful music, the ballet is sure to enchant audiences of all ages. Here, royalty and fairies walk the halls of the grand palace, and royal guests are well-loved fairy tale characters such as Puss n’ Boots and Little Red Riding Hood. There is also a lot of spectacular dancing such as the Bluebird pas de deux, whose music is more familiar as Princess Aurora’s song in the woods in the Disney cartoon.

The 2011 staging will have BP ballet master Victor Ursabia as restager, and principal dancers Carissa Adea, Candice Adea and Katherine Trofeo as Princess Aurora, and Jean Marc Cordero in the role of Prince Desire alternating with international guest artist Nobuo Fujino, who will perform for two nights only.

The Sleeping Beauty will begin with a fundraiser Gala Night on Dec. 2, featuring Nobuo Fujino partnering our very own international award-winner Candice Adea, with the Manila Symphony Orchestra playing live.

For details, visit www.balletphilippines.org. For tickets, call 891-9999, 551-1003, 624-5701 and 832-3704.