Matthew Hart’s Sleeping Beauty: A Fairy-Tailored Classic is a reduced version of the Petipa classic, which will make its world premiere in Charlotte, and stays true to its beloved choreography set to Tchaikovsky’s score with lavish sets and costumes by designer Peter Docherty.
In the spirit of British pantomime, an onstage narrator guides the audience through the performance in this family-friendly production. Complete with glittering tutus, tiaras and captivating spells, the tale of Princess Aurora and her court is the perfect introduction to ballet!
Note: This performance has been reduced from the original 3+ hour length with a run time closer to 2 hours, including intermission.
MEET THE CHOREOGRAPHER: MATTHEW HART
Matthew trained at the Arts Educations School and the Royal Ballet School. He was a Soloist with the Royal Ballet 1991-96, dancing in Ballets by Fokine, Nijinska, De Valois, Ashton, Macmillan, Balance, Bintley, Tharp and Forsythe. He later joined Rambert Dance Company 1996-2000, where he performed in works by Bruce, Kemp, Kylian, Taylor, Cunningham, Tharp, Naharin and Veldman. He was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for his portrayal of Lorca in Cruel Garden. He is also an Award-winning Choreographer and has created works for Classical Companies and Schools both in the UK and abroad, including The Royal Ballet, The Royal Ballet School, Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, English National Ballet School, London City Ballet, Ballet Boyz, New English Ballet Theater, Central School of Ballet, London Studio Centre, Millennium Performing Arts, London Children’s Ballet, Sarasota Ballet, K Ballet, Hong King Ballet and Ballett Deutsche Oper am Rhein. He joined the Ballet Boyz as a founder member in 2001, and was a guest artist with K Ballet, Tokyo in 2003/4. Matthew made his musical debut playing Sydney Cohen in Adam Cooper’s production of On Your Toes, 2004, he also played Gus Feilding in a revival of Babes in Arms at Chichester 2007. For ROH2 he created Toas in Will Tuckett’s The Wind in the Willows, 2002/3, The Devil in The Soldier’s Tale, 2004/5, the title role in Pinocchio, 2005, The King of the Mountains in The Thief of Baghdad, 2008, The Rake in Pleasure’s Progress, 2010, a role in Cathy Marston’s Asyla, 2004, Oswald in her Ghosts, 2005, and The Prince in Kim Brandstrup’s The Anatomy of a Storyteller, 2004/5. He also played The Prince in Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, 2006/7, and at Regent’s Park, he played Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 2008. Matthew’s Film and TV credits include: Mrs. Henderson Presents, Riot at the Rite, Margot and Strictly Dance Fever.
Behind the Scenes of Sleeping Beauty: A Fairy-Tailored Classic!
Meet the five fairies in Sleeping Beauty: A Fairy-Tailored Classic! The Lilac Fairy, the Woodland Glade Fairy, the Enchanted Fairy, the Songbird Fairy, and the Golden Vine Fairy all present Princess Aurora with special gifts.
“My work as a choreographer: I love to tell stories and to take audiences on a journey. The fairy-tailored Sleeping Beauty is the opportunity to create a reduced version, aimed at introducing anyone who loves ballet.” – Choreographer Matthew Hart.
Not only is Sleeping Beauty: A Fairy-Tailored Classic a timeless classical ballet set to Tchaikovsky’s incredible score, it’s also filled with glittering costumes, sparkling tiaras, and spectacular creatures.
Our upcoming performance of Sleeping Beauty is a bit different than you may have seen before. We are so excited to bring the idea of a “fairy-tailored” performance of ballet classics to our Charlotte audience and beyond. But what exactly does it mean? Found out more now on the blog!