Imagine a baby blessed at birth, a fierce battle between good and evil, and a true love awakened with a kiss. These elements make “Sleeping Beauty” one of the world’s favorite folktales. One of its most famous versions tells this enchanting story without uttering a single word. Since its debut in 1890, “The Sleeping Beauty” has become one of the most frequently performed ballets in history. But what makes this ballet so beloved? And how does ballet bring stories like this to life?
At the core of ballet are numerous gestures that dancers perfect over countless hours of practice. These movements have been used for centuries, each rich with meaning and history. However, you don’t need to study them to appreciate ballet, just like you don’t need to study music to be moved by a song. Choreographers, much like composers, combine these gestures with new movements to create expressive sequences. Dancers perform these sequences alongside a live orchestra, conveying narrative, emotion, and character through their precise movements.
In the opening scene of “The Sleeping Beauty,” a flurry of techniques shows the fairy court bestowing gifts on baby Princess Aurora. The Fairy of Generosity walks delicately “en pointe”—on the tips of her toes—matching the light plucking of violins. Her movements mimic the violins’ trill with an elegant bourrée. The Fairy of Temperance, who gives Aurora the gift of strong will, is choreographed to shoot bolts of energy from her fingers. She bounds across the stage, spinning with quick chaînés before decisively jetéing. Some movements are even more literal, like when the evil fairy Carabosse curses the princess, and the benevolent Lilac Fairy counters that curse.
The relationship between music and movement in ballet isn’t always straightforward. While classical ballet gestures often respond to musical elements, the alignment between dancers and the orchestra is another choreographic tool. Some characters and scenes move in sync to create rhythmic clarity, while others intentionally diverge from the orchestra. Dancers and musicians maintain this delicate balance throughout each performance, engaging in a live negotiation of speed and rhythm.
Before the performance, the most crucial relationship is between the choreographer and the music. Choreographer Marius Petipa and composer Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky collaborated on every second of “The Sleeping Beauty.” This is especially evident in Princess Aurora’s lively entrance on her 16th birthday. Tchaikovsky’s enthusiastic music captures her impatience, while Petipa choreographs Aurora bouncing back and forth with “pas de chat”—French for “cat steps”—as she eagerly awaits her party.
Once the celebration begins, it’s up to the dancers to deliver the physical spectacle of performing these gestures with grace. Aurora faces the most challenging part: her famous Rose Adagio. As four suitors compete for her hand, the Princess performs a dizzying array of balances, all en pointe. She briefly takes each suitor’s hand but then balances unassisted—a breathtaking display of physical strength and skill. However, it’s not just technique that carries meaning; style and personality also play a role. Like an actor delivering lines, ballerinas can execute movements to convey a wide range of emotions. Aurora can be elegant and restrained, or coy and flirtatious, descending from en pointe with grace and confidence.
“The Sleeping Beauty” showcases the wonders of ballet, with its graceful spectacle, dramatic physical vocabulary, and enchanting coordination of music and movement. But ballet isn’t just for epic fairytales. It can be a non-narrative emotional journey, an experimental deconstruction of form, or a pure demonstration of skill. Ballet continually experiments with a centuries-old set of rules, making it the perfect medium for both old and new stories.
Research and identify five common ballet gestures used in “The Sleeping Beauty.” Create a short presentation explaining the meaning and history behind each gesture. Share your findings with the class and demonstrate how these gestures contribute to storytelling in ballet.
Choose a scene from “The Sleeping Beauty” and analyze how the music and choreography work together. Create a visual or audio presentation that highlights key moments where the dancers’ movements align with the music. Discuss how this synchronization enhances the narrative and emotional impact of the scene.
Research the collaboration between Marius Petipa and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky for “The Sleeping Beauty.” Write a short essay on how their partnership influenced the final production. Consider how their collaboration might have differed if they were working in today’s digital age.
Watch a performance of the Rose Adagio from “The Sleeping Beauty.” Analyze the technical challenges faced by the dancer performing as Princess Aurora. Write a reflection on how the dancer’s physical skill and emotional expression contribute to the overall impact of the performance.
Investigate a modern ballet that tells a story or explores a theme different from traditional narratives like “The Sleeping Beauty.” Prepare a report comparing the modern ballet’s approach to storytelling with that of classical ballets. Discuss how ballet as a medium can adapt to contemporary themes and audiences.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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A baby blessed at birth. A fierce battle of good and evil. A true love awakened with a kiss. “Sleeping Beauty” is one of the world’s favorite folktales. One of its most famous renditions tells the story without a single word. Since premiering in 1890, “The Sleeping Beauty” has become one of the most frequently staged ballets in history. So what makes this piece so beloved? And what exactly does ballet bring to this—or any other story?
At the heart of ballet are dozens of gestures that dancers painstakingly perfect over thousands of hours of practice. This unique set of gestures has been used for centuries, each movement rich with meaning and history. But you don’t need to study them to understand ballet, any more than you need to study music to be moved by a song. Just as composers combine notes and phrases to form pieces of music, choreographers string these gestures together with new movements to form expressive combinations. Working alongside the orchestra’s live score, ballerinas precisely perform these combinations to convey narrative, emotion, and character.
In “The Sleeping Beauty’s” opening scene, a flurry of techniques depicts the fairy court bestowing gifts on baby Princess Aurora. The Fairy of Generosity delicately walks “en pointe”—meaning on the tips of her toes—in step with the light plucking of violins. The ballerina moves in perfect harmony with the music, even mimicking the violins’ trill with an elegant bourrée. The Fairy of Temperance, bestowing the gift of strong will on Aurora, is choreographed as if shooting bolts of energy from her fingers. She bounds across the stage, spinning with quick chaînés before decisively jetéing. Some movements are even more literal than this. The evil fairy Carabosse curses the princess with a lethal mark, and the benevolent Lilac Fairy counters that curse.
Of course, the relationship between music and movement isn’t always straightforward. While classical ballet gestures often respond to musical elements, the degree to which the dancers and orchestra align is another choreographic tool. Some characters and scenes move in sync to create rhythmic clarity, while others deliberately diverge from the orchestra. Dancers and musicians maintain this delicate balance throughout each performance, engaging in a live negotiation of speed and rhythm.
But prior to the performance, a ballet’s most important relationship is between the choreographer and the music. Choreographer Marius Petipa and composer Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky worked together on every second of “The Sleeping Beauty.” This is particularly noticeable in Princess Aurora’s exuberant entrance on her 16th birthday. Tchaikovsky’s enthusiastic music tumbles forward in fits and starts, even cutting short some musical phrases to capture her impatience. Petipa choreographs Aurora bouncing back and forth with “pas de chat”—French for “cat steps”—as she waits for her party to begin.
Once the celebration starts, it’s up to the dancers to deliver on the physical spectacle of performing these gestures with grace. Aurora has the hardest part of all: her famous Rose Adagio. As four suitors vie for her hand, the Princess performs a dizzying array of balances, all en pointe. She briefly takes each suitor’s hand, but then balances unassisted—a breathtaking display of physical strength and skill. However, it’s not just technique that carries meaning, but also style and personality. Like an actor delivering their lines, ballerinas can execute their movements to convey a wide range of emotion. Aurora can be elegant and restrained, throwing her arms in independence from her suitors. Or she can be coy and flirtatious, descending from en pointe with grace and knowing confidence.
“The Sleeping Beauty” offers a showcase for so much of what ballet can do. Its graceful spectacle, dramatic physical vocabulary, and enchanting coordination of music and movement perfectly reflect the themes of this fantastical romance. But ballet isn’t just for epic fairytales. Ballets can be non-narrative emotional journeys, experimental deconstructions of form, or pure demonstrations of skill. The art form is always experimenting with a centuries-old set of rules, making it the perfect medium for stories old and new.
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This version maintains the essence of the original transcript while ensuring clarity and appropriateness.
Ballet – A highly technical form of dance with its own vocabulary based on French terminology, known for its graceful movements and expressive storytelling. – The ballet performance captivated the audience with its intricate choreography and the dancers’ elegant movements.
Music – An art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound, often used to enhance the emotional experience of a performance. – The music in the play underscored the dramatic tension and heightened the emotional impact of the scenes.
Movement – The act or process of changing position or place, often used in dance and theater to convey emotion or tell a story. – The choreographer used fluid movement to express the character’s inner turmoil and transformation.
Gestures – Movements of the body or limbs that express or emphasize ideas, emotions, or intentions, often used in acting to convey meaning without words. – The actor’s subtle gestures conveyed the character’s hesitation and vulnerability without a single line of dialogue.
Choreography – The art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified, often used in dance and theater productions. – The choreography in the musical was complex and required the dancers to execute precise and synchronized movements.
Fairy – A mythical being of folklore and romance usually having magic powers and dwelling on earth in close relationship with humans, often featured in literature and performances. – The fairy in the play granted the protagonist a wish, setting off a chain of magical events that changed the course of the story.
Princess – A female royal figure often depicted in literature and performing arts as a central character in tales of adventure and romance. – The princess in the opera faced numerous trials, ultimately finding her own strength and independence.
Performance – The act of presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment, often involving acting, singing, or dancing. – The actor’s performance was so compelling that the audience was moved to tears.
Emotion – A strong feeling deriving from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationships with others, often portrayed in literature and performing arts to connect with the audience. – The dancer’s expression of emotion through her movements left a lasting impression on everyone watching.
Narrative – A spoken or written account of connected events; a story, often used in literature and performing arts to convey a sequence of events and engage the audience. – The narrative of the play unfolded through a series of flashbacks, revealing the protagonist’s troubled past.
