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The Beauty Awakes

16 December saw the premiere of the new production of The Sleeping Beauty. It is the work of a multinational team: choreographer-producer and Artistic Director of the Mikhailovsky Ballet Nacho Duato, set and costume designer Angelina Atlagić, and lighting designer Brad Fields. The ballet was conducted by Valery Ovsyanikov.


Irina Perren and Leonid Sarafanov danced the principal roles in the new production’s first performance. Critics remarked on the “courtly elegance” of Princess Aurora, as performed by the “sweet and regal” Irina Perren, and on the “lightness and grace” of Leonid Sarafanov. Ekaterina Borchenko in the role of the Lilac Fairy was singled out for special praise for her “sense of pose and the ‘voluminosity’ in her arm movements” (Novye Izvestia). Rishat Yulbarisov, transformed for the evening into the evil Fairy Carabosse, was also a real favourite with the audience. “The Mikhailovsky can be congratulated on an outstanding winning performance”, wrote Izvestia. “The brilliance of the Prologue was largely down to a fine ‘lady’: the two metre-tall, sharp, powerful and stylish Fairy Carabosse”.

The narrative of the fairytale unfolded against scenery based on sketches by Angelina Atlagić. Moskovskie Novosti remarked that “the set designer always arranged the space elegantly”. Novye Izvestia agreed: “The palaces, gardens and lakes, with their blend of minimalism and elegance, were delightful”, and also praised the costumes designed by the Serbian artist, paying homage to “the ornamental embroidery, the fine lace, the luxuriant but light skirts of the ladies of the court, and the fantastic hats, like those at fashion shows”.

The reviewers found Nacho Duato’s version more lyrical than the classic version of the ballet. “Under the guidance of the producer, the spirit of The Sleeping Beauty has changed radically: he has replaced the ceremonialism with a chamber quality, and pomposity with intimacy, and instead of a formal court chronicle has given us a heart-warming love story” (Novye Izvestia). The critics noted that the features of Nacho Duato’s trademark style had transformed the academic choreography: “Flowing arms and supple backs are complemented by more ‘classical’ leg movements” (Izvestia). Duato’s bold experiment was not a simple one: having directed an academic company and having decided to stage a classical ballet, it was as though he had “rejected his own language in favour of a foreign one” (Moskovskie Novosti). The critics consider that “the choreographer sees his stay in Russia as a creative adventure and an important cultural experience, during which he can learn new things and change something within himself”.

The Sleeping Beauty will be performed seven times this year. The performance on 20 December will be broadcast live on the Internet, with Svetlana Zakharova dancing the part of Princess Aurora. On 28 and 29 December the principal roles will be performed by Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev, the Mikhailovsky Theatre’s prima ballerina and principal dancer.