Conceived by Ashley Page and Antony McDonald

Choreography*: Ashley Page

Music: Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Designs: Antony McDonald

Lighting: Peter Mumford

*Featuring original choreography by Marius Petipa

Touring Glasgow / Edinburgh / Aberdeen / Inverness / Newcastle 2011/12

Add a little sparkle to the winter months as this Christmas Scottish Ballet offers audiences across Scotland and beyond the opportunity to fall in love all over again with its most decadent festive production, The Sleeping Beauty.

This ’must see’ production is the third in a trilogy of fairytale ballets alongside The Nutcracker (2003) and Cinderella (2005) conceived by Artistic Director Ashley Page and designer Antony McDonald each re-imagined with fresh relevance for a contemporary audience, and presented with the delicious twists, devilish wit and stunning visuals synonymous with their creative partnership.

Princess Aurora is born into an enchanted world where mortal members of Europe’s sovereign court mingle with the celestial beings of the forest. While at the Royal baby’s christening, each of the kingdom’s fairies gift the child a number of virtues including truth, grace, beauty, intelligence and kindness.

A jealous fairy, fallen from grace watches on, enraged that she was not invited to join the celebrations, and casts the ultimate curse, that Aurora will, on her 16th birthday, prick her finger and die. Countering the spell, the Lilac Fairy declares that a profound slumber for 100 years can save the innocent child, until she is woken by a truelove kiss.

Featuring sections of the original choreography by Marius Petipa, Scottish Ballet’s version unfolds through the kaleidoscopic perspective of over one hundred years. The Sleeping Beauty showcases a spectrum of fashions, from the simple elegance of 1830s Regency style and the opulent glamour of neo-gothic Victorian dress, through to the Dior New Look styled silhouette of 1940s post-war Europe, with Antony McDonald’s artistic vision rendering them by turns graceful, stylish and outrageous. The stunning sets create whole new worlds of magic and mystery, from the King and Queen’s beautiful garden to the enchanted forest through which the Prince travels to find his true love.

And indeed the historical setting of when Aurora awakes from her 100 years sleep is hugely significant to the very role the ballet itself played in reawakening the artform after the war, as Aurora is brought back from her slumber in 1946 – the year that Sadler’s Wells Ballet, now known as the Royal Ballet, danced The Sleeping Beauty for the first time in the re-established Royal Opera House with Margot Fonteyn in the lead role.

Scottish Ballet dancers will be accompanied by the full Scottish Ballet Orchestra, bringing to life the musical motifs full of exquisite poetic images in Tchaikovsky’s soaring and passionate composition.

Speaking on how Tchaikovsky’s score inspired him to retell the story of The Sleeping Beauty, Page comments, “Part of the reason for re-conceiving the ballet is to listen to the music with fresh ears and illuminate things that I think, perhaps, haven’t been illuminated before. This can be anything from subtle little details of the rhythmic structure happening underneath the melody to larger-scale links and references.”

The Fairy Gift Appeal

Are you the Fairy of Beauty, Song, Grace or Wisdom?  Find out which in a special online quiz designed to inspire you to take part in the company’s Fairy Gift Appeal and select the perfect gift for Princess Aurora to support Scottish Ballet in bringing the magic of The Sleeping Beauty to life again this winter. Donations are gratefully received no matter how small and can be gifted in the name of your loved one for an alternative Christmas present which might include their name printed in The Sleeping Beauty souvenir programme or even an invitation to a special rehearsal at Tramway.

Visit www.scottishballet.co.uk to donate online. You can also be extra generous by texting TUTU22 £10 to 70070 to donate £10 to Scottish Ballet.

Take Forty Winks with Scottish Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty

Young ballet fans can also get involved this year as the company present Forty Winks – a brand new exciting initiative from Scottish Ballet designed for young children experiencing ballet for the first time. Along with practical workshops, a treasure trail in the National Museum and, in Glasgow, the chance to watch a special dress rehearsal of the prologue from The Sleeping Beauty, children can learn about the story through fact sheets and creative activities such as printable drawing and colouring in sheets hosted on company’s exclusive Education website connect.scottishballet.co.uk helping to foster an understanding and enjoyment of ballet from a young age.

“The Forty Winks resources have been designed with a home environment in mind to make it as easy as possible for families to learn together,” explains Catherine Cassidy Associate Director Education at Scottish Ballet. “Younger children can work with their parents, while older children can access them by themselves if they choose. Hosting these resources online has allowed us to use photos and film clips to highlight significant details, such as how a dancer expresses character through movement or costume. Everyone in the family will then go to the theatre with a real sense of the story and characters they are about to see.”

Forty Winks’ special prologue dress rehearsal will take place at Theatre Royal, Glasgow, on Saturday 17th December at 1.45pm. Tickets for dress rehearsal only cost £6 and are available through the Theatre Royal Glasgow Box Office on 0844 871 7647 (booking fee applies).

Multiple workshops are being held for each age group to ensure best availability and are being held at Scottish Ballet’s headquarters at Tramway in Glasgow on 26 November, 3 and 10 December.  Tickets for the workshop and performance cost £12.  Glasgow Workshop tickets are not sold separately.

From Saturday 17 December, you can follow a special Sleeping Beauty treasure trail through the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh to discover objects linked to our fairytale production. Forty Winks Dance Workshops will also be hosted in the Learning Centre of the National Museum of Scotland on 28, 29 December and 4, 5 January and are priced £6 per workshop.  Book directly by calling 0300 123 6789.

For family and education resources, visit http://connect.scottishballet.co.uk

Pointe and click as Scottish Ballet bring The Sleeping Beauty to your screen

Fans can also log on to www.scottishballet.co.uk to watch a special behind the scenes broadcast from rehearsals and backstage as the dancers warm up, apply make up and prepare to take to the stage before the matinee performance of The Sleeping Beauty in Edinburgh Festival Theatre on 12th January 2012.

Scottish Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty backstage webcast will be broadcast live on www.scottishballet.co.uk at 1.30pm on Thursday 12th January 2012, and will be available to watch again on the website soon after. To watch previous Scottish Ballet webcasts, visit www.scottishballet.co.uk/whats-on.htm.

Access All Areas

Audiences can also engage with members of the Company and Creative team through Scottish Ballet’s Access All Areas programme which includes a special Ballet Café series free pre-show talks, Insight sessions and audio described performances.

HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE, ABERDEEN

WEDNESDAY 18 – SATURDAY 21 JANUARY 2012

Evenings 18-21 Jan at 7.30pm

Matinees 19, 21 Jan at 2pm

Free pre-show talk on Thurs 19 and Fri 20 Jan at 6.30pm. Call Box Office to reserve tickets.

Insight (suitable for ages 10+) on Thurs 19 Jan at 11am.  Tickets £5, concession £3.

Family Insight (suitable for ages 6+) on Sat 21 Jan at 11am.  Tickets £5, concession £3, family ticket for four people £12.

Audio Described Performance on Sat 21 Jan at 2pm, preceded by a touch tour at 12.30pm.

Tickets £11.50-£30.50.  Discounts available, contact Box Office.

Box Office 01224 641122*

Booking Online www.boxofficeaberdeen.com

EDEN COURT THEATRE, INVERNESS

WEDNESDAY 25 – SATURDAY 28 JANUARY 2012

Evenings 25-28 Jan at 7.30pm

Matinees 26, 28 Jan at 2pm

Free pre-show talk on Thurs 26 and Fri 27 Jan at 6.30pm. Call Box Office to reserve tickets.

Insight (suitable for ages 10+) on Thurs 26 Jan at 11am.  Tickets £5, concession £3.

Family Insight (suitable for ages 6+) on Sat 28 Jan at 11am.  Tickets £5, concession £3, family ticket for four people £12.

Audio Described Performance on Sat 28 Jan at 2pm, preceded by a touch tour at 12.30pm.

Tickets £14-£28.  Discounts available, contact Box Office.

Box Office 01463 234 234*

Booking Online www.eden-court.co.uk*

Source: Scottish Ballet