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The Source

"The Sleeping Beauty"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
February 24, 2023

by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2023 by Mary Cargill

It is no exaggeration to say that without “The Sleeping Beauty”, ballet as we see it today would not exist.  New York City Ballet’s program provides a useful outline of its importance, starting with the group around Diaghilev and without that great impresario, there would be no Balanchine, no Royal Ballet, and possibly no modern ballet at all. “The Sleeping Beauty” is more than a collection of pretty music and difficult dancing attached to a simple fairy tale, and any production should try to convey what it is about the work that has captivated so many brilliant artists over the years.  Of course, the dancers should not look as if they were tiptoeing around a great cathedral, overawed by the grandeur, but they should all be part of the overarching story.  That story, to me, isn’t just about a nasty guest who was overlooked, and the moral isn’t “doublecheck your list”, it illustrates, so elegantly, the importance of generosity.

Emily Kikta and Peter Walker in "The Sleeing Beauty" photo © Erin Baiano

Without Feathers

"The Sleeping Beauty"
New York City Ballet
David H. Koch Theater
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
February 15, 2023

by Mary Cargill
copyright © 2023 by Mary Cargill

The New York City Ballet celebrated the day after Valentine’s with “The Sleeping Beauty”, the apotheosis of love, grandeur, and gorgeous music.  Peter Martins’ version, first seen in 1991, remains somewhat of a mixed bag, but it has some stunningly beautiful scenes with magnificent choreography, and often, excellent performances.  It was produced before the Mariinsky and ABT revivals, both based on the notated Petitpa choreography, now housed at Harvard University, and it lacks much of the moral seriousness of these versions.  Those knitting ladies are not just dancing to bouncy music, they show the audience the importance of forgiveness, as the King wavers between justice and mercy.  And Carabosse, the embodiment of petty vindictiveness (an all to human trait) is not Von Rothbart’s first cousin; she is not an irrational evil being who must be destroyed, as she too is forgiven and invited to the wedding.  Martins’ version has changed very little over the years (though for some reason, in this performance the Prince entered the hunting scene hatless—his hat was stored in the wings and picked up later, worn for about a minute and then removed—which made the Lilac Fairy’s forecast that a prince with a feather in his hat would awaken Aurora a bit pointless).

New York City Ballet in "The Sleeping Beauty" photo © Paul Kolnik