Paris National Opera

Ballets

The Sleeping Beauty

  
Ballet in 3 acts inspired from Charles Perrault’s tale.


Prologue:
It last about 20 minutes and present the princess Aurore’s baptism. Lilacs fairy brings with her six other fairies who promise her all the perfections and happiness. But there, the nasty Carabosse fairy appears (who is sometimes played by a man) and reproaches to the king not to have invite her to the feast. To retaliate, she casts a terrible spell: Aurore will prick herself with a needle and she will die. But Lilacs fairy who didn’t have already given her present diminishes: the princess won’t die, she will sleep for 100 years, with all the palace’s inhabitants. Shocked, her father, the king, swears to condemn anyone who will use needles from now on.

  

Act 1:
The princess parties her 16th birthday. For this occasion, four princes came from all over the world pretend to Aurore’s hand, but she doesn’t give any looking over their presents, however she receives with beauty their homage with a simple flower. Carabosse dressed up as an old court woman, offers to Aurore a bouquet where she has hidden a needle. Aurore dances with the bouquet and pricks herself. The malediction performs and Aurore nods off.

 

Act 2:
100 years later: during a hunting game, the Désiré prince is melancholic and searches the solitude, in spite of games and distractions. He goes deep down in the forest. Lilacs fairy appears suddenly and shows him Aurore image whose he falls immediately in love. He dances with this vision. Then, Lilacs fairy leads the prince until the sleeping castle. After having fought with Carabosse fairy and her monsters, he enters the castle and finds the inhabitants asleep. He approach Aurore and gives her a peck. She wakes up as all the court.


Act 3:
The wedding: the castle is floodlighted to celebrate Aurore princess and Désiré prince’s wedding party. But the Blue Bird and Florine princess, Puss in Boots and the White cat, Tom Thumb and the wolf… appear, all left from Perrault’s tales. All participate to the party. The ballet ends with a general dance in the joy.