The Sleeping Beauty Ballet

ballet · fairy tales · classical music · Russia

Tchaikovsky's Masterpiece. The famous composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote the music for The Sleeping Beauty in 1889, and it took him lots of hard work to create over 160 minutes of beautiful melodies.

Royal First Performance. The ballet premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia on January 15, 1890, and people loved it so much that it became one of the most famous ballets ever made.

Cursed Princess Aurora. The story follows Princess Aurora, who is cursed to fall into an endless sleep by a wicked fairy, but a good fairy's magic saves her from the worst part of the curse.

Marius Petipa's Choreography. The original choreographer was Marius Petipa, who created all the dance moves that dancers still perform today, making it a classic that hasn't been forgotten in over 130 years.

French Fairy Tale Origins. The story comes from Charles Perrault's fairy tale called 'La belle au bois dormant' (The Beauty Sleeping in the Forest), showing how old stories inspire new art forms.