2 THE SLEEPING BEAUTY
Cover and photoshoot: Olivia Zucarino and Manuela Roçado photographed by Carol Lancelloti. Beauty: Vivi Borlido. Tutus and head pieces: Cisne Negro and personal collection. Production assistant: Letícia Vazquez.
Content 2
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY UNKOWN BY MANY BY VERA ARAGÃO
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A NEW AWAKENING FOR EVERY WORK BY JULIANA MEL
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MARIANELA’S DREAM INTERVIEW WITH MARIANELA NÚÑEZ BY CAROL LANCELLOTI
The Sleeping Beauty Unkown by Many BY VERA ARAGÃO
Premiered on January 15, 1890 at the Mariinsky Theater, St. Petersburg, the ballet Sleeping Beauty, united the genius of choreographer Marius Petipa with that of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, placing music and choreography on the same level of genius. The creation started from the fairy tale of -2-
Charles Perrault, from 1697, which in turn is based on the myth of Persephone, which returns from the sleep of death. Around 1888, the audience in the theaters was low and the Imperial Theater steward, Ivan Alexandrovitch Vsevolozhsky, chosen by the Tsar precisely to revitalize ballets and operas, suggested to Petipa to create an adaptation for ballet of The Sleeping Beauty as a way of arousing public interest; but the choreographer was reluctant. Vsevolozhsky then wrote a first libretto and sent it to Tchaikovsky, saying about the conception that the new ballet should have: a work to relive the Louis XIV court era, an idea that excited the composer. The letter said: “I conceived the idea of writing a Sleeping Beauty libretto from Perrault’s fairy tale. I want to do the miseen-scène in the style of Louis XIV. Here the musical imagination can run wild, and melodies composed in 1 the spirit of Lully, Bach, Rameau, etc. In the last act, a quadrille of all Perrault 1’s fairy tales is indispensable”.
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https://www.bravoballetbrasil.com.br/post/a-bela-adormecida
Aurora
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A man of refined taste, Vsevolozhsky, in addition to
The plot begins with the young princess Aurora
collaborating on the libretto, created the majestic
cursed on the day of her baptism by an evil fairy who
sets and designed very rich costumes, which appears,
condemns her to death. But the good fairy manages
without
production
to relieve her curse: the princess will prick her finger
committed more than a quarter of the annual
in a spindle and everyone at court will fall asleep for
budget for the 1890 production of the Imperial
a hundred years. Petipa’s intention, probably, was to
Theaters (HOMANS, 2012 p. 312). The original cast
draw a timeline between the arrival of court ballet in
measuring
expenses,
as
the
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included two Italians, Carlotta Brianza (1867-1935)
France, with Catarina de Médici, and the time of Louis
as Aurora, and Enrico Cecchetti (1850-1928) in the
XIV, when ballet went through an entire development
role of the Blue Bird and the evil fairy, Carabosse.
process. Aurora wakes up just at the time of Louis XIV.
The choice of the theme, according to Levonian
For example, it is possible to notice that, in the grand
(2004), was not by chance: a political alliance between
pas of the 3rd act, some steps of the Rose adage from
France and Russia had been signed one year earlier,
the 1st act are taken up, but in a new way, with greater
with France offering economic support in exchange
freedom of movement. The balances (passing from one
for support against the German ambition to conquer
to the other of the suitors) can be understood as a
territories. In addition, another significant inspiration
poetic metaphor that shows Aurora’s non-submission
came from the work: “(...) The Sleeping Beauty was
and her freedom of choice. Curiously, Petipa left the
not just a children’s story: it was a tribute to Louis
male variations to the dancers themselves, so little
XIV, le merveilleux, and to the modern French State”
importance was given to men’s dance at the time.
(HOMANS, 2012, p. 72), in fact a historical review of courtier ballet, paying homage to the grand siècle.
Although the 3rd act added characters from other
The parallel between King Florestan and Louis XIV
children’s stories such as Little Red Riding Hood
was more than obvious.
and the Wolf, the Puss in Boots etc., the ending was grand, pompous: Versailles, its terraces, fountains and
The work was approaching the genre that proliferated
a large lake could be seen as a backdrop, with Apollo,
at the time, sumptuous shows and with fantastic
in the costumes of Louis XIV, illuminated by the sun
effects, the “ballet-féeries, for their fairytale magic
and surrounded by fairies (HOMANS, 2012). It is worth
and insistence on the merveilleuse” (HOMANS, 2012,
remembering that the image of Apollo associated
p. 310); it seemed the intention was to get closer
with classical dancers who, consciously or not, try to
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to Italian productions like Excelsior. However, the
recreate their image of beauty, grandeur, elegance
conception of The Sleeping Beauty as a ballet-féerie
and light is notorious. And the prologue fairies gave
was a strategy to counteract Italian spectacles - some
the princess these Apollonian attributes, plus singing
of very dubious taste - using their own weapons to
and dancing.
show Russian aristocratic supremacy.
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Vsevolozhsky was so important that the biography of Marius Petipa, published in 1906, was dedicated to him. Brianza had danced the Excelsior ballet for a long time, a féerie genre that will mentioned later. 4 Excelsior is a ballet from the Italian repertoire, dated 1881, by Luigi Manzotti and music by Romualdo Marenco. The plot pays homage to the great discoveries of the 19th century, such as the emergence of electric light, the telegraph, steam engines, the Suez Canal, etc. The debut had almost 500 dancers on scene; in the end, the Light overcomes the Darkness and a great fraternization between the nations celebrates this victory. The main characters do not represent people, but allegories: the Light, the Obscurantism, the Civilization and the Slave. 3
The Sleeping Beauty
The ballet ended with the musical quote of a French popular song, “Vive Henri IV”, celebrating the former king of France. As Robert Levonian (2004, p. 105) rightly says, “it could not have been a coincidence, but Henry IV was the son-in-law of Catarina de Médicis, the same woman who ordered the first court ballet in 1581, Le Ballet Comique de la Reyne Louise. The cycle of aristocratic ballet closes, therefore, with La Belle au Bois Dormant”. In short, the intention to narrate the fairy tale was not as innocent as it appeared to be.
References: HOMANS, Jennifer. Os anjos de Apolo: uma história do ballet. Tradução Jaime Araújo. Lisboa: Edições 70, 2012. LEVONIAN, Robert. História da Dança e das Artes Auxiliares I. Universidade Luterana do Brasil, Centro de Educação Tecnológica. Canoas: Ed. ULBRA, 2004. LOURENÇO, Frederico. Estética da dança clássica. 1° ed. Lisboa: Edições Cotovia, 2014. Electronic References: https://petipasociety.com/the-sleeping-beauty https://australianballet.com.au/the-ballets/the-sleeping-beauty https://www.pbt.org/the-company/artistic/repertoire/sleeping-beauty
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Vera Aragão is a former Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro dancer, writer, university professor, Pedagogue and Doctor in Social Memory.
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for every
A new awakening
work BY JULIANA MEL
Of the three ballets created by Tchaikovsky,
work. The sequence was originally created
Sleeping Beauty was the composer’s great
for four dancers, representing gold, silver,
success in life. His partnership with Marius Petipa
sapphire and diamond and, musically, each
resulted in a work that is considered a perfect
performer would have their own solo. While
marriage between music and choreography.
choreographing, Petipa changed his mind: only
This is due to the detailed instructions that
the Diamond Fairy would have a solo, and the
Tchaikovsky received from the choreographer
first three ones dance the theme that would
and that gave rise to a very extensive score,
be the Silver Fairy. In the original production,
which in turn underwent changes for the
as well as the reconstructions made by
debut at the Mariinsky Theater in 1890.
Sergei Vikharev for the Mariinsky and Alexei Ratmansky for the American Ballet Theater,
Among the changes made, it is impossible not
the Gold Fairy solo appears in the second
to mention Aurora’s variation in the first act of
act, replacing the Aurora variation originally
the piece. It is interesting to note that all the
created for the vision scene. The Sapphire
protagonist’s solos are long, exceeding two
Fairy theme was excluded from the ballet.
minutes in length. For Petipa’s version, the end of this song was shortened and became
With each new production, this sequence
a permanent change in Russian productions,
takes on a different configuration, which can
like Mariinsky and Bolshoi. However, there
have more or less than four interpreters. An
are
the
example is the version of Rudolf Nureyev,
theme with the original ending, being used
who transformed this number into a pas de
by ballet companies as the Royal Ballet and
cinq, having added a dancer to its structure.
the Dutch National Ballet, among others.
This choreography in the version of the Paris
some
productions
that
rescued
Opera brings yet another change: the trio Another
interesting
choreography
is
the
of ballerinas represents ruby, emerald and
pas de quatre of the precious stones, which
sapphire stones, which I believe is an allusion
opens the divertissements of Aurora’s and
to the colors of the fairy godmothers of the
Désiré’s wedding in the third act of this
animated version of Walt Disney. As a curiosity,
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Aurora
Nureyev’s production is also restaged by the ballet of the Teatro alla Scala and the National Ballet of Canada. It is true that from the base created by Petipa, it is possible to have a new look at this score. But it is very wrong to think that differences between the productions are reduced only to the musical structure. Other details can also be innovated, such as the choice of who will play Carabosse, the evil fairy. Originally, the role is usually assigned to men, in order
“Of the three ballets created by Tchaikovsky, Sleeping Beauty was the composer’s great success in life. His partnership with Marius Petipa resulted in a work that is considered a perfect marriage between music and choreography.”
to make the character look heavier. This tradition is maintained in Russian versions in general, as well as in the aforementioned reconstructions by Vikharev and Ratmansky. There are productions, however, that select women to play the role. In Mario Galizzi’s version for the Teatro Colón, for example, Carabosse dances on pointe shoes, while in the version by Nureyev and the Royal Ballet, the theatrical side is strongly explored. Speaking of interpretation, the version of the Royal - 10 -
Ballet is noteworthy, as it brings an element that differs from Petipa’s production: several passages of the version that would be entirely danced were transformed into pantomime, thus giving a more theatrical look to the piece. This is because the Theater has always been much stronger than dancing in England. The name Shakespeare already tells us a lot. For this reason, when ballet started to become popular in the country, this art form had to adapt. An example in Sleeping Beauty is the scene in which the Lilac Fairy gives Aurora her gift. It is worth remembering that this role was created for Marie Petipa, daughter of the choreographer, and therefore, it has more dance work in the original version. It would be wonderful to be able to comment on other particularities, but there are so many that it is practically
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
impossible to talk about everything in a single article. It
Juliana Mel is a researcher, amateur dancer and dedicated
is up to you to explore new versions and be enchanted
to sharing information about Classical Ballet, preserving its
by the surprises that each production has in store for us.
memory.
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“The Authorized Bolshoi Ballet Book of Sleeping Beauty”, Yuri Grigorovich and Victor V. Vanslow. Photography by Carol Lancelloti.
Marianela’s Dream I N T E RV I E W BY C A RO L L A N C E L LOT I PHOTO BY ANDRE USPENSKI
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For my generation, Marianela Núñez - principal
besides
dancer at the Royal Ballet in London - is one
Nela, as she is affectionately called, is also a
of the main references and inspirations. It is
very human dancer. And in my opinion, this is
impossible not to smile or be moved when
her greatest and most special differential. She
you see her dancing. Her charisma remains
is for real. A gentle, approachable dancer who
on stage and in life - and wins over fans
allows her love for dance, her gratitude for
around the world. As we know, ballet goes
doing what she loves and even her challenges
far beyond having a perfect technique. And
to be visible. In every movement on the
having
an
impeccable
technique,
La Sylphide
stage, every révérance, every post on social media, it is possible to feel her passion and her surrender. Nela expresses herself as an eternal dreamer, a “bunhead”, as she likes to say. In this exclusive interview, she recounts her relationship with two historical roles in her career: the Lilac Fairy and Aurora, from the classic The Sleeping Beauty.
Do you remember the first time you watched The Sleeping Beauty ballet? How was the experience, how did you feel back then when you first saw it?
I remember seeing The Sleeping Beauty in VHS with different companies and it was love at first sight. The Tchaikovsky score made me fall in love with this ballet right away. And “The Rose Adage” for sure had a big impact on me. I always had the dream as a student and later when I became a professional dancer to be Aurora! I am very grateful that dream came true and every time I dance it I feel it is a big gift for me. I truly love this ballet.
“ I am very grateful that dream came true and every time I dance it I feel it is a big gift for me.” One of the first roles I ever saw you dance was the Lilac Fairy, which is a key character in the ballet and has a beautiful variation, demanding control, power and lightness at the same time. Could you tell the best and most challenging parts of this particular role? - 15 -
The Lilac Fairy is a very important character in this ballet. I believe is challenging in every way. Technically the solo (specially in our Royal Ballet version) is very difficult from beginning to end, but beautiful to dance. And again, Tchaikovsky’s score makes you go to heaven while you are dancing this variation.
As a character is also challenging as she is the character that puts all the pieces of the puzzle together. She spreads goodness and makes sure everything will be ok, but you have to make the audience feel the authority,
Aurora
the goodness, the peace, the intelligence, charm, THE
teachers and people around me and I feel they give me
MAGIC, as you are not human: you are a fairy! I feel
everything I need to discover these things and to get
we all need a Lilac Fairy in our lives, the world needs
closer each time I perform it to what this ballet needs.
a Lilac Fairy and now more than ever :)
But when I feel I unlock a few doors I realize I have many more new doors to unlock, and this is what I love
The Rose Adage is known as one of the most difficult
about this masterpiece, about classical ballet and this
adagios in the ballet world! Do you feel nervous about
career. I am very lucky to have the best people around
dancing it, or can you enjoy it at least a little bit? Do
me guiding me through my ballerina journey so I can
you remember dancing it for the very first time?
improve every time I go on the stage. They inspire me.
The Rose Adage is one of my favorite things to
I once read that Aurora’s tutu is one of your favorites
dance. Of course I get nervous but as soon as I hear
to wear. Do you have any special rituals before going
the music, I get transported to a magical world. The
on stage, is dressing up a special moment to you?
feelings I get while I dance it are very special… I get
How do you prepare for dancing Aurora?
lost in the moment and I feel pure JOY! My heart feels
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full of happiness and gratitude dancing this famous
I love my Aurora tutus and my tiaras! They are
moment in the ballet repertoire. The energy you feel
gorgeous! I don’t have any rituals. But of course as
around the stage and from the audience while The
soon as I put these costumes and the tiaras on I feel
Rose Adage is happening is UNIQUE. Talking about
like Aurora! I often think “my dream came true”. I am
it makes me want to wear my pink tutu and dance it.
living the dream...
We know ballet is an art that survives because of
What part of Aurora do you carry in your heart and
the teachings of great masters and ballerinas from
soul forever? What have this ballet taught you?
the past. What were the best advices that you have received from great teachers while rehearsing and
Everything! It has a big special place in my heart and it
preparing for The Sleeping Beauty?
always will. I feel lucky and grateful I can perform and work on this ballet! AURORA, I LOVE YOU! SLEEPING
The wonderful thing about this masterpiece is that you will always learn something new each time you do it. This ballet has a million details for us dancers to work on. The style, the musicality, the way the steps have to be executed… You can’t cheat or overdo things. Everything has to be well balanced. Everything has to be PURE when you are dancing this role. Also each act shows a different side of Aurora and this also has to be clear and has to be well done. I have the best
BEAUTY, I LOVE YOU!
The Sleeping Beauty
“When I feel I unlock a few doors I realize I have many more new doors to unlock, and this is what I love about this masterpiece, about classical ballet and this career.” - 17 -
A M P B R A N D S C R E AT I O N aurorafairytale.com
