Excerpts from THE SLEEPING BEAUTY
The Sleeping Beauty, one of the oldest ballets still in existence, was conceived in 1888 when Ivan Alexandrovitch Vsevolzhsky, director of the Maryinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, invited Tchaikovsky to write the score for a ballet based on the popular story. Highly regarded by his colleagues for his fine taste, Vsevolzhsky believed ballet productions should be unified works of art combining the highest quality of music, scenic design, drama and choreography.
Tchaikovsky accepted the proposal and began to write the score in October of 1888. He completed the last draft of orchestration in August of 1889. Tchaikovsky was so taken with the story that he proclaimed, "this ballet will be one of my best works."
The result was one of the best-loved full-length classical ballets in history. Since its premiere in 1890, The Sleeping Beauty has been restaged, redesigned and re-choreographed countless times, but the traditional elegance of the ballet remains. The Sleeping Beauty continues to enchant audiences, as its popularity pays tribute to the masters of this wonderful work of art.
WHEN FAIRY TALES COME TRUE
You will find a heartwarming story behind the creation of the ballet When FairyTales Come True. In 1982, the Eagles football team sponsored Eagles Fly for Leukemia as a benefit for the Sunshine Foundation. David Kloss, who was commissioned by the Brandywine Ballet to conceive and choreograph When Fairy Tales Come True for the benefit, drew his inspiration from a ridiculous image: the well-known Western actor, John Wayne, dancing with a fairy.
The musical accompaniment is a compilation of works by five composers who wrote Victorian times parlor music. At that time, most families had a family member who played the piano or violin. The children would accompany the adults by playing percussion with fairy bells, kazoos, or pots and pans.
The Brandywine Ballet Company produced the premier of this ballet at the Conservatory at Longwood Gardens to an appreciative audience, which included members of the Eagles football team.
LIMITLESS PATH
This contemporary piece choreographed by Delphine Del Bello Spencer celebrates the inspiring ability of the human spirit to transcend the bonds and physical restraints of life on earth.
"...And when the earth shall claim your limbs,
Then shall you truly dance." -Gibran
