Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts - Opera House
Dates: March 02-04, 2018
Duration: Approximate 190 mins
About
Credits
Librettists: Marius Petipa, Ivan Vsevololozhsky
Choreographer: Marius Petipa
Renewed version by Liudmila Kovaliova
Designer: ViacheslavOkunev
Cast
Princess Aurora: Anastasia Chumakova/Olesia Shaytanova
Prince Desiré: Henadz Zhukouski/Romas Ceizaris
The Lilac Fairy: Olga Konošenko
The Blue Bird: Jonas Laucius/Stanislav Semianiura
Princess Florine: Kristina Gudžiūnaitė/Olesia Shaytanova
Fairy Carabosse: Andrius Žužžalkinas
Piotr Tchaikovsky himself described The Sleeping Beauty as follows: “The plot is so poetic and cut out for music that my composing was accompanied with tremendous delight and enthusiasm which generally determine the value of any work”. The outcome seems to have exceeded all expectations: The Sleeping Beauty, choreographed by Marius Petipa and first produced in 1890, was to mark the beginning of a new era in the development of ballet.
Grand pageantry, lavish decorations and exceptionally skillful performance of ballet artists – all these indispensable attributes are found in LNOBT’s production of The Sleeping Beauty. It is one of the most gorgeous spectacles in the repertoire, representing classical ballet in its most refined form that appeals to audience members of all ages.
Synopsis
Act I
Scene One
King Florestan the XIVth declares a grand christening ceremony to be held in honour of the birth of his daughter Princess Aurora, named after the dawn. All the fairies of the kingdom are invited to bestow their blessings on the infant. As the fairies present their gifts of beauty, wisdom and generosity, they are interrupted by the arrival of the evil fairy Carabosse; she is enraged and insulted that the king forgot to invite her to the ceremony. Carabosse announces her curse that Aurora will prick her finger on her sixteenth birthday and die. Luckily the Lilac fairy has yet to give her present. She acknowledges that Carabosse's power is immense and she cannot completely reverse the curse. However, she declares that although the Princess will prick her finger, she will not die. Instead she will fall into a deep sleep for 100 years until the kiss of a prince will awake her. Helpless at the Lilac Fairy’s will, Carabosse goes away.
Scene Two
It is Princess Aurora's sixteenth birthday. The Princess has escaped ill fate as spindles and everything which she could prick her finger on has been banned from the palace. Aurora receives her suitors and the gifts they have brought her. As she dances, an old woman furtively approaches her and presents her with a thing she has never seen before. Clutching the interesting object, a spindle, as it turns out to be, Aurora accidentally pricks herself and feints away. Carabosse immediately reveals her true wicked self triumphantly and vanishes before the astonished guests. At the same moment, the Lilac Fairy returns to fulfill her promise. Aurora is carried inside the palace where she and the court will sleep until the arrival of the prince.
Act II
Scene Three
One hundred years later, Prince Desiré is at a hunting party with his companions. As the party departs for another hunt, the Prince remains alone in the forest. Suddenly, from a graceful boat in the river, the Lilac Fairy descends and presents him with a vision of Aurora. Entranced by the Princess’s beauty, the Prince pleads with the Lilac Fairy to bring him to see Princess Aurora, to which the latter consents. They both get to the castle, now overgrown in thick vines. Once inside the castle, the Prince tries to awaken Aurora, however in vain. Only when in lost hope he kisses her, she wakes up. The entire kingdom awakes with her. The Prince then declares his love for Aurora and proposes to her. The King and the Queen and the Lilac Fairy give their blessings for their marriage.
Scene Four
Preparations for the wedding of Princess Aurora and Prince Desiré are in place. The fairies return for the celebration along with the characters from Charles Perrault's fairy tales, Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, the Bluebird and Princess Florine, Puss in Boots and the White Cat, the Ogre and Little Tom Thumb with his brothers and many more guests.
Artist
Anastasia Chumakova as Aurora
Anastasia Chumakova graduated from the Choreography School in Perm (Russia) and received a diploma cum laude in 1998. That same year she was accepted into the ballet company of the Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre of Chelyabinsk. In 2001 she received a diploma at the First International Contest for Young Ballet Artists in Kazan. She also worked at the Cairo National Opera in Egypt.
In 2003 she became a soloist with the Krasnoyarsk’s Opera and Ballet Theatre. In 2004 she received first prize at the Contest for Young Russian Ballet Dancers held in Krasnodar. Two years later she started working at the Theatre of Classical Choreography in Moscow, while in 2008 she became a soloist with the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre. Her roles at this company include Bayadere and Gamzatti (La Bayadere), Marie (The Nutcracker), Giselle (Giselle), Kitri (Don Quixote), Osilde (Tristan and Isolde), Carmen (Carmen), Juliet (Romeo and Juliet) and others.
Ms. Chumakova performed in India, China, United Kingdom, Italy, Turkey, Spain and elsewhere.
In 2009 she was bestowed a Švyturys Award as the Female Ballet Soloist of the Year. In 2014 she was awarded with the Golden Cross of the Stage as the Best Ballet Dancer of the Year.
Olesia Shaytanova as Aurora/Princess Florine
In 2013 Olesia Shaytanova graduated from the Kiev State Ballet School with honours. In that same year she became a soloist with the Ukraine National Opera and Ballet Theatre, and since 2016 she has been a principle with the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre (LNOBT). Her awards include first prize at the 6th Rudolf Nureyev International Ballet competition in Budapest (2013), first prize at the 4th International Istanbul Ballet competition (2014) and first prize at the 5th Beijing International Ballet Invitational for Dance Schools (Dance Performance Series; 2014). With various companies O. Shaytanova performed in Greece, Italy, Japan, Germany and Korea.
The dancer has previously created the roles of Odette and Odile (Swan Lake), The Bluebird and Princess Aurora (The Sleeping Beauty), Clara (The Nutcracker), Kitri (Don Quixote), Giselle (Giselle), Juliet (Romeo and Juliet), Medora (Le Corsaire), Gamzatti and Nikiya (La Bayadere), Cinderella (Cinderella), Snow White (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), Paquita (Paquita). Her repertoire at the LNOBT includes Kitri (Don Quixote) and Juliet (Romeo and Juliet).
Henadz Zhukouski as Prince Desiré
In 2008 Henadz Zhukouski graduated from the Belarusian State Choreographic College (U. A. Azimov’s class) and started performing at the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus. He also danced during the ballet festival in Kasan. He has been a soloist with the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre since 2011.
Mr. Zhukouski performed in Egypt, Italy, Syria, Lebanon, South Korea, China, Cyprus and elsewhere. His roles include Golden Idol (La Bayadere), Akteon (La Esmeralda), Lankendem (La Corsaire), The Bluebird (The Sleeping Beauty), pas de deux (Giselle), Count Cherry (Cipollino), Romeo (Romeo and Juliet), Prince (The Nutcracker), Tristan (Tristan and Isolde), Prince Siegfried (Swan Lake), Prince Desiré (The Sleeping Beauty), Basil (Don Quixote), Romeo (Romeo and Juliet), etc.
Romas Ceizaris as Prince Desiré
Romas Ceizaris graduated from the National M. K. Čiurlionis Scool of Art Ballet Department in 2005. He became a soloist with the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre (LNOBT) in 2004, when he was still a student. R. Ceizaris prepared main roles in such ballets as Prince Desiré (The Sleeping Beauty), Prince Siegfried and pas de trois (Swan Lake), Solor (La Bayadère ), Paris (Romeo and Juliet), Shadow (Peter Pan), Dwarf (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), pas de deux (Giselle) and others. He participated in a ballet competition ARABESK 2006 in Perm (Russia) and became a finalist. Together with the LNOBT he danced in Poland, Latvia and Spain. In 2009 R. Ceizaris was bestowed a Švyturys award as the Best Ballet Soloist of the Year.
Olga Konošenko as The Lilac Fairy
After graduating from the Vilnius M.K. Čiurlionis School of Arts in 1996, Olga Konošenko joined the Ballet Company of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre (LNOBT). In 2002 she won diploma and special prize for musicality at the Perm International Ballet Competition "Arabesk". The same year she received an award of Jurgis Žalkauskas, a chairman of an Australian Ballet Society, and became a winner of the Švyturiai prize as the Ballet Hope of the Year. In 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2016 she became a winner of the Švyturiai prize as the Female Ballet Soloist of the Year. In 2011, Ms. Konošenko completed her MA studies at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, obtaining qualifications of both choreographer and dance teacher. In 2014 the dancer was bestowed the Lithuanian National Culture and Art Prize.
In 2004-2005, Ms. Konošenko created project “Trecento – Draw Your Own Life”, which was presented during the celebration of Lithuania’s acceptance into the EU. She also produced dance performances Palette of the Renaissance (2007), Line (2011), as a choreographer participated in LNOBT’s project Creative Impulse (2012 and 2013). The dancer toured in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Egypt, USA, Poland, France, Latvia, Spain, Denmark, United Kingdom, etc. Since 2012 she has been also touring as a soloist with the Monica Loughman Ballet Ireland's Ballet Company.
Ms. Konošenko’s roles created at the LNOBT include Titania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Eglė (Eglė the Queen of Grass Snakes), Odette and Odile (Swan Lake), Giselle (Giselle), Juliet and Juliet’s Mother (Romeo and Juliet), Emilia (Desdemona), Ballerina (The Red Giselle), Olympia (Coppelia), The Sylph (La Sylphide), Anna Karenina (Anna Karenina), Gamzatti (La Bayadere), Carmen (Carmen), Snow Queen (The Snow Queen) and many others.
Jonas Laucius as The Bluebird
Jonas Laucius graduated from the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Arts in 2015. In that same year he also completed a 2-year internship at the Geneva Dance Centre in Switzerland. In 2013 the dancer was bestowed special prize at the IBBC Competition in Riga.
Since 2015 J. Laucius has been performing with the ballet company of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre. His repertoire in this theatre includes Prince (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Cinderella), Prince Siegfried (Swan Lake), King Mark (Tristan and Isolde), in Indian Dance and Slave (La Bayadere), Toreador (Don Quixote), Cipollone (Cipollino), etc.
Stanislau Semianiura as The Bluebird
Stanislav Semianiura was born in Brest in 1989. In 2000 he entered the Belarusian Choreographic College and studied in the class of L. E. Matusevich and A. I. Kolyadenko. He graduated in 2009 and was accepted as a ballet artist with the Bolshoi theatre of Minsk. Since 2011 he has been a member of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre’s ballet company. S. Semianiura toured in Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, Mexico, Kenya, Egypt, China, Italy, and United Arab Emirates.
Repertoire includes: Prince (The Nutcracker), Count Cherry (Cipollino), The Bluebird and Prince Desiré (The Sleeping Beauty), Franz and in Persian dance (Blue Danube), Rab and in Indian dance (La Bayadere), Kay (Snow Queen), etc.
Kristina Gudžiūnaitė as Princess Florine
Ms. Kristina Gudžiūnaitė was born in 1989. In 2008 she graduated from the Ballet Department of the M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art. In 2008-2009 she also studied at the Ballett-Akademie Heinz Bosl-Stiftung in Munich, Germany. To improve her skills further, she participated in intensive dance courses held at the Royal Ballet School Covent Garden (2007) and education programme at the Australian ballet and Syndey opera house.
In 2009-2010 Ms. Gudžiūnaitė was a member of corps de ballet at the Hong Kong Ballet, taking part in such ballets as Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, La Bayadere, Symphony in Three Movements, La Sylphide (Effi), Tristan and Isolde (Osilde), Giselle (Vilisa ), Carmen (Frasqiita), etc.
Since 2010 she has also been a soloist with the ballet company of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre. Her roles include Clara’s friend, Doll and Clara (Coppelia), The Bluebird pas de deux and Jewel Variation (The Sleeping Beauty), Bianca (Desdemona), 1st variation in Shadow Trio (La Bayadere), pas de troix (Swan Lake), Osilde (Tristan and Isolde), Marie (The Nurcracker), Gerda (The Snow Queen), Eglė (Eglė the Queen of Grass Snakes), Juliet (Romeo and Juliet), etc.
In 2008, Ms. Gudžiūnaitė became a semi-finalist in the Prix de Lausanne (Switzerland), and she also won the 1st Prize at the International ballet competition in Grasse (France, 2006). She was awarded 1st Prize and Public Favourite Prize at the Stora Daldansen (Sweden), and Young Ballet Talent Prize bestowed by the Australian foundation.
Andrius Žužžalkinas as Fairy Carabosse
Andrius Žužžalkinas graduated from Ballet Department of the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Arts in 2001 and from Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (BA in acting) in 2006. Since 1999 he has been a soloist with the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre (LNOBT), also participating in dance productions by Anželika Cholina and Loreta Juodkaitė. Main roles that the dancer created at the LNOBT include Jester (Swan Lake), Iago and Cassio (Desdemona), Kashchei (Firebird), Nijinsky (Diaghilev Fantasies), Idol and other roles in (La Bayadère), pas de eux (Giselle), Barmaley (Doctor Ouchaches), Man (The Lost Son), Cat in Boots and other characters (The Sleeping Beauty), Prince (Cinderella), Satire (Faust), performer of Russian dances (The Nutckracker), Pumpkin (Chipolino), Sleepy Dwarf (Snow White and the Seven Dwarf), etc. In 2008 he won a Švyturys Award as the Best Ballet Soloist of the year, in 2009 he also won a special ballet prize of Konstantinas Stašys. Together with the LNOBT he toured in England, France, Egypt, USA, Greece, Denmark, Poland, Holland, Czech Republic, Denmark, Russia, Ukraine, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, etc.
Presenter
Ballet Company of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre
The court ballet in Lithuania was started in the 16th century. At the same time dance was encouraged at school theatres too (e.g. at the Vilnius College founded in 1570, which in 1579 was reorganized into the Vilnius University, at the Kražiai College and the Kaunas College, founded in the 17th century). Latin school drama, which survived more than 200 years, united all the branches of the arts. Traditional plots as well as those taken from Lithuanian history were danced then.
On September 4th 1636 a music drama Il ratto di Helena by playwright Virgilio Puccitellia and unknown composer was staged at the court theatre in Vilnius. The court theatre of Lithuania's Grand Duke and Poland's King Ladislaus Vaza, which had already performed in both capitals Warsaw and Vilnius, produced the premiere. There were 20 dancers in the theatre.
The ballet became particularly popular in the middle of the 18th century. Dramas, called ballets, were produced at the Vilnius University. The nobles of Lithuania supported ballet troupes and ballet schools, directed by Italian and French ballet masters. There were 10 theatres at the courts working for longer or shorter period of time. They survived up to the beginning of the 19th century. At the public town theatres, founded in Vilnius and Klaipeda in 1785, ballet developed somewhat slowly. However, during the 19th century, the ballet in Lithuania was extremely enriched by the guest performances of French, Italian, and later also Russian ballet troupes.
Ballet in Lithuania was truly revived in the autumn of 1920, when Lithuanian Opera and Ballet Theatre was founded (it was opened on December 31th 1920 with the premiere of opera La Traviata by Verdi). On December 4th 1925 the Ballet Troupe of the Theatre showed its first full evening with Leo Delibes' Coppélia (up to then the troupe has danced only in opera productions). Later, ballets by Adolphe Adam, Riccardo Drigo, P. L. Hertel, Piotr Tchaikovsky, Ludwig Minkus, Aleksandr Glazunov, Igor Stravinsky, Georges Auric, etc., by Lithuanian composers Jurgis Karnavičius, Juozas Gruodis, Vytautas Bacevičius, Balys Dvarionas, Juozas Pakalnis, and ballets with music by Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Eric Satie, Francis Poulenc, etc. have been produced. In 1935 Lithuanian Ballet guest performed in Monte Carlo (10 performances) and in London at the Alhambra Theatre (32 performances). Material changes took place in the summer of 1944, when the Red Army once again occupied Lithuania. A lot of theatre artists, half of the ballet troupe among them, emigrated to the West. The ballet studio of the theatre has stopped its work (only in 1952 the Department of Choreography was founded at the Vilnius Art School, which is the present Vilnius Ballet School).
