DANCE

TRADITIONAL ARTISTIC PERCEPTION (AP) ® CLASSICAL CREATIVE EXPRESSION (CE) Artsource CONTEMPORARY HISTORICAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT (H/C) The Music Center’s Study Guide to the Performing Arts EXPERIMENTAL AESTHETIC VALUING (AV) MULTI-MEDIA CONNECT, RELATE & APPLY (CRA)

ENDURING FREEDOM & THE POWER THE HUMAN TRANSFORMATION VALUES OPPRESSION OF NATURE FAMILY

Title of Work: Theatre became America’s National Ballet Company®. The Sleeping Beauty About The Artwork: Creators: The story of The Sleeping Beauty was written by Marius Company: American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Choreography: Kevin McKenzie, Gelsey Kirkland and Petipa and Ivan Vsevolojsky, based on a tale by Charles Michael Chernov, after the Perrault. Both the time and the place of this ballet are choreography of Marius Petipa (1889) relatively unimportant because the story is focused on a Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky struggle between good and evil, as represented by the Original Version World Premiere: Imperial Ballet, benevolent Lilac Fairy and the wicked fairy Carabosse. In the Maryinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, 1890 overture, musical themes of both the good and evil fairies are Background Information: introduced. At the christening of the baby Princess Aurora, Recognized as a living national treasure, ABT was founded 5 good faries each give her a loving wish, but the fairy in 1940. The aim was to develop a repertoire of the best Carabosse, feeling left out, casts an evil wish out of revenge. ballets from the past and to encourage the creation of new She states that the princess will prick her finger when she is works by gifted young choreographers. Under the direction 16 and die. Carabosse’s music is low in pitch, strident and of Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith from 1940 to 1980, the aggressive. Luckily the Lilac Fairy had not yet given her wish Company more than fulfilled that aim. The repertoire and so was able to lessen the evil by stating that the princess includes all of the great full-length ballets of the 19th will only be in a deep sleep for 100 years, awakened by the kiss century, such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and Giselle, of a handsome prince. Her motif is soft and compassionate. as well as the finest works from the early part of the 20th century, such as Apollo, Les Sylphides, Jardin aux Lilas and Rodeo. Creative Process of the Artist or Culture: In creating both the story and ballet, Acclaimed contemporary masterpieces such as Airs, Push Petipa told Tchaikovsky exactly how Comes to Shove and Duets are also included. In acquiring many measures he wanted for each such an extraordinary repertoire, ABT has commissioned episode, and specified the tempo, style works by several choreographic geniuses of the 20th century and scoring. Since the original premiered in such as: George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Jerome Robbins, 1890, it has been reconstructed and Agnes de Mille and Twyla Tharp. In 1980, Mikhail updated many times. Baryshnikov became Artistic Director of ABT, succeeding Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith. Under his leadership the Gillian Murphy New York Company experienced a strengthening and refining of the Photo: Rosalie O’Connor classical tradition. In 1990, Jane Hermann and Oliver “Sleeping Beauty. . . is the grandest, fullest, and finest Smith took over, maintaining the past as they pursued achievement of Classical innovation. In 1992 Kevin McKenzie was appointed Artistic ballet..” Andrew Porter Director. In 2006, by and act of Congress, American Ballet The New Yorker