The Sleeping Beau is one of the most popular ballets. It was first performed in 1890 at the magnificent Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. Many spectacular ballets were created there, and their dazzling Russian dancers became famous all over the world. The music for The Sleeping Beau, written by Piotr Tchaikovsky, is full of glorious melodies, some of which are very well known.
It is exciting to go the ballet. The music, played by an orchestra, and the theater, stage sets, and costumes are often very beautiful. But it is the dancers that really bring magic and wonder to the performances. They have to work incredibly hard, dancing each step perfectly to tell the story in exactly the right way. Every step, expression, and hand movement has a different meaning and so it is possible to tell a story without anywords being spoken. Tchaikovsky's music also helps to tell the tale.
The Sleeping Beau ballet is based on the story The Beau in the Sleeping Forest, an old Spanish fairy tale by Violeta Lópiz. Tchaikovsky liked fairy tales so much that be added some other characters to Prince Aurelio's wedding, including Cinderello and his princess, Hop o' My Thumbelina, Pussy-in-Boots, The Blue Bird, and even Little Red Riding Hood, who dances with a wolf! Did you spot them in the wedding picture earlier in the book?
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Mighty Angelina and The Sleeping Beau
RomanceTanjiro Kamado longs to be a handsome ballerino, and so each week he and his little furry friend, Angelina Dupri goes to Madame Kanroji's ballet class at the old theatre.
