The Singapore Dance Theatre Presents Sleeping Beauty
By Ashok Kumar, photos by Singapore Dance Theatre
One of the world’s favourite fairytales, Sleeping Beauty, is in town on this festive season of joy and love. A production by the Singapore Dance Theatre, the full-length classical ballet was perfection. Performed with the highest of standards, each move was finely tuned and perfectly in sync with the music that was a true spectacle of dance.
The magical story begins with the introduction of Princess Aurora during her 16th birthday. Aurora’s father told her to select among the four of the princes, one of them as her husband. Each offered a rose to declare his love. Aurora was then sabotaged by Carabosse – a wicked, angry fairy who gave her a bouquet of roses and was then pricked by a spindle. The Princess then falls into a deep sleep for a hundred years.
Rescued by Prince Florimund with the help of the Lilac Fairy, Princess Aurora was awakened with a kiss by the handsome and charming Prince. It ends with my personal favourite – the wedding between Princess Aurora and Prince Florimund. The celebration wraps up the night with a magnificent display of costumes and delicate ballet that is sure to amaze the audience.
Rosa Park was at her best performance as Princess Aurora, with the rest of the cast supporting the lead dancers to bring a classical fairytale back into life. There were multiple scene changes, lovely music and different characters, all coordinated into perfection.
Cheers and words of encouragement were heard throughout the performance and one word that I kept hearing from the lady beside me was ‘Bravo’. The play was made better with the score written by the legendary Tchaikovsky – one of the most famous and celebrated composers of all time.
Sleeping Beauty, Presented by the Singapore Dance Theatre is showing at the Esplanade Theatres from the 13th to the 16th of December 2012. Tickets are on sale at sistic.
