The Sleeping Beauty
Quick Summary
The Sleeping Beauty is a ballet with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It premiered in 1890 and is considered one of the cornerstones of classical ballet.123
The ballet tells the story of Princess Aurora, who is cursed by the evil fairy Carabosse to prick her finger on a spindle and fall into a deep sleep on her 16th birthday. The Lilac Fairy intervenes, altering the curse so that Aurora will only sleep for 100 years, until awakened by true love's kiss. The ballet is known for its elaborate choreography, particularly the Rose Adagio, and its iconic score by Tchaikovsky, which also includes music for Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.312
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
Dame Margot Fonteyn…Aurora in a revival of The Sleeping Beauty; her interpretation is still considered the definitive Aurora of the era.
Read More…Aurora in a revival of The Sleeping Beauty; her interpretation is still considered the definitive Aurora of the era.
Read More- Moira Shearer
…in such classical ballets as The Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia, Swan Lake, and Giselle. She also created important roles in several of Frederick Ashton’s ballets, notably the title role in Cinderella (1948). Other celebrated performances were in the premieres of Ninette de Valois’s Promenade (1943), Robert Helpmann’s Miracle in the Gorbals…
Read More…in such classical ballets as The Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia, Swan Lake, and Giselle. She also created important roles in several of Frederick Ashton’s ballets, notably the title role in Cinderella (1948). Other celebrated performances were in the premieres of Ninette de Valois’s Promenade (1943), Robert Helpmann’s Miracle in the Gorbals…
Read More