Created in 1996 for Hamburg Ballet, Sleeping Beauty tells the modern story of Princess Aurora, now a rebellious teen who has fallen victim to the prick of a heroin needle and a menacing drug dealer who has no intention of saving her. Lifted by the stirring sounds of Tchaikovsky and Ek’s signature dark humour, audiences will dive into the many troubling and beautiful layers of the human psyche, exploring death, love, jealousy, revenge and happy endings with 30 dancers from Les Grands Ballets. Not recommended for children under 12.
“All fairy tales have things in common: princesses, witches, kings and queens, Good and Evil. But each one also has something unique about it, because inexplicable things happen. In Sleeping Beauty, for me, this mysterious moment is the actual prick of the thorn, with the sleep that follows. What does this mean, and what is really going on?”
Mats Ek
Piotr Illitch Tchaikovsky interpreted by Les Grands Ballets Orchestra, conducted by Florian Ziemen
Peder Freiij
Peder Freiij
Erik Berglung
Created for
The Cullberg Ballet (1996 - Sweden)
Premiere by
Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal (May 2009 - Place des Arts, Montréal)
Technical specifications
Requires a cleared stage, as it is performed without any masking, an orchestra pit moving silently up and down for 45 seconds during the performance, and a rearm to shoot blanks on stage. All permits and authorization are required. One fresh salmon of 2 kg and about 40 cm long for each performance. Needs access from stage to the audience. One seat must be reserved for a dancer during the performance.
Number of dancers 30 — Length 125 min. (with intermission)
Full technichal rider available on demand.
