ON TOUR
Christmas
COMES EARLY FOR BALLET LOVERS THIS YEAR
L
ooking ahead with joy and optimism to its ever-popular Christmas season, the Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB) will open its magical new production, The Ryman Healthcare Season of The Sleeping Beauty on 29 October.
score, spills over with fairies, woodland sprites, grand princes and, at its heart, an enchanting princess. This special Christmas production will unfurl like a fragrant summer rose with all the radiance and joy that any ballet lover, young or old, could wish for.
This stunning new production of the quintessential classical ballet has been created by a powerhouse of creativity, led by RNZB Artistic Director Patricia Barker. The creative team includes New Zealand costume designer Donna Jefferis, Austrian Dramaturg Michael Auer, whose most recent production with the company was the successful The Nutcracker season in 2018, American Lighting Designer Randall (Rico) Chiarelli (Black Swan, White Swan, 2019), and American scenic designer Howard C. Jones, whose work New Zealand audiences may remember from the RNZB’s much-loved classic production of Giselle (2012).
Arguably the best known of all Russian composers, Tchaikovsky wrote the music for just three ballets – The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, all of which include some of the most iconic ballet scenes of all time. In The Sleeping Beauty, this includes the beautiful Rose Adagio in Act I – considered among dancers as one of the most technically difficult segments for a ballerina in any ballet, a grand pas de deux in Act III, and a spectacular wedding.
Royal New Zealand Ballet’s magical The Sleeping Beauty on stages across the country from 29 October.
RNZB Artistic Director Patricia Barker says, “We considered our production of this beautiful, enchanting story from all angles – from the original ballet, to the Disney story, and even as a Netflixstyle compelling drama with storytelling and characters at its heart. The result is a bold new production with all the brilliance, grandeur and beauty of the beloved classical ballet.” The grandest of fairy tales, the RNZB’s production of The Sleeping Beauty, while luxuriating in Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous orchestral
The national tour of The Sleeping Beauty visits Wellington, Invercargill, Dunedin, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Napier, Auckland City and Takapuna. RNZB Principal Conductor Hamish McKeich will conduct a live orchestral accompaniment in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch, with a special recording for all other centres. In a time when love and kindness are more important than ever, sharing the joy of a timeless ballet with the young and young at heart this Christmas seems like one of the very best ways to bring a sparkle of joy to the end of a challenging year.
rnzb.org.nz/thesleepingbeauty
Once Upon A Time… 29 OCT – 12 DEC
TOU RING NATIONALLY
BOO K N OW
SEASON SPONSOR
16 Spring / 2020
rnzb.org.nz
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