Pacific Northwest Ballet Presents Ronald Hynd's THE SLEEPING BEAUTY, Now thru 2/9

Pacific Northwest Ballet's 2013-2014 season continues with the perfect Valentine and a happily-ever-after experience for all ages, Ronald Hynd's The Sleeping Beauty. From fairies that really fly to the Prince's wakening kiss and an imperial wedding celebration, each moment of The Sleeping Beauty faithfully portrays the beloved fairy tale with grand storytelling, Tchaikovsky's beloved score, magnificent sets and costumes, and over 30 leading roles.

Long regarded as the ideal classical ballet, The Sleeping Beauty's fairytale world was crafted to mirror the splendor of the Imperial Czars, its first patrons. Although this production is as discernibly English as its choreographer, the ballet remains true to Marius Petipa's 1890 original and each act - from the evil fairy Carabosse's flying entrance in the Prologue to the Rose Adagio's spectacular balances to Act III's celebrated Bluebird pas de deux - offers rich opportunities for dancers to demonstrate technique and artistry, and take star-turns. Ultimately, however, the pivotal brilliance of Beauty rests with Princess Aurora; she must captivate as a teenager, inspire a Prince's love as a vision, and awaken a queen, all while mastering some of the most technically grueling choreography in classical ballet's cannon - a genuine mark of distinction for a great ballerina.

The Sleeping Beauty runs for nine performances only, tonight, January 31 to February 9, 2014 at Seattle Center's Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street. Tickets may be purchased by calling the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424, online at pnb.org, or in person at 301 Mercer Street.

"The Sleeping Beauty has it all," says PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal, "The production offers a host of larger than life characters ranging from the sweet to the scary. With lavish sets and costumes, brilliant dancing, and Tchaikovsky's wondrous score, it is one of the greatest ballets of all time, promising to enchant audience members of all ages."

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Op. 66, 1889)

Choreography: Ronald Hynd after Marius Petipa

Staging: Ronald Hynd, Annette Page, and Amanda Eyles

Scenic and Costume Design: Peter Docherty

Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli

Original Petipa Production Premiere: January 15, 1890; Imperial Ballet, St. Petersburg

Hynd Production Premiere: 1993; English National Ballet

Pacific Northwest Ballet Premiere: February 1, 2001

Running Time: 3 hours (including 3 intermissions)

"[PNB's] The Sleeping Beauty blends tradition with delight. Everything about it is just right."

-Seattle Weekly

The Sleeping Beauty represents the pinnacle of 19th-century Russian ballet, a collaboration of dance, music, and design that continues to influence ballet today. The well-known story served as a foundation on which the ballet's creators - composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, choreographer Marius Petipa, and designer and director of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres Ivan Vsevolozhsky - developed a work that demonstrated a century's worth of achievements in classical dance. Coveted among ballerinas, the leading role of Princess Aurora offers opportunities for a rich display of classical technique and artistic interpretation, from the famed Rose Adagio to the elegiac "vision scene" adagio and finally the triumphant wedding pas de deux.

Pacific Northwest Ballet's production of The Sleeping Beauty by English choreographer Ronald Hynd was originally set on English National Ballet and is based on the historic Royal Ballet version, with which Hynd and his wife, former Royal Ballet ballerina Annette Page, are intimately familiar. That production, in turn, was closely based on the original Sleeping Beauty of 1890.

Ronald Hynd has commented on his own history with The Sleeping Beauty: "In 1946, the Sadler's Wells Ballet [now the Royal Ballet] re-opened the Royal Opera House with a sumptuous production of Marius Petipa's choreographic masterpiece, The Sleeping Beauty. ...As a teenage student I saw many performances during that 1946 season. A group of us, young hopeful dancers from the Rambert School of Ballet, would rush to the gallery whenever we could afford the two shillings and sixpence. ...By the time I joined the company at Covent Garden in 1952, I seemed to know nearly every step of the work, absorbed no doubt by love and ambition. ... Over the years, I had secretly nurtured an ambition to stage my own production of The Sleeping Beauty...Elizabeth Anderton, then Acting Artistic Director of English National Ballet, invited me to present this new staging in 1993 to mark the centenary of Tchaikovsky's death."

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Ronald Hynd was born in London, England. He studied with Marie Rambert and danced with her company until joining The Royal Ballet in 1951. In 1958, he was promoted to the rank of principal dancer and danced an extensive repertoire of classical and dramatic roles, often partnering Margot Fonteyn, Svetlana Beriosova, and his wife, Annette Page. Mr. Hynd was Director of the Munich State Opera Ballet from 1970 to 1973, and from 1984 to 1986. He has choreographed extensively in the United States, particularly with Houston Ballet, as well as with American Ballet Theatre, Ballet West, and Tulsa Theatre Ballet. Among Mr. Hynd's most noted works are Dvorak Variations, which was created for English National Ballet in 1970, and was the beginning of a long collaboration that produced many one-act ballets and original productions of The Nutcracker, Coppélia, and The Sleeping Beauty. Mr. Hynd's The Sleeping Beauty, designed by frequent collaborator Peter Docherty, was presented for the first time outside Europe by Pacific Northwest Ballet during the 2000-2001 Season. Mr. Hynd's full-length ballet, The Merry Widow, entered PNB's repertory in 2002 and was most recently performed in 2005.

Annette Page was born in Manchester, England, and started ballet lessons at age four. She was discovered by Moira Shearer, star of the filmThe Red Shoes, who arranged an audition for The Royal Ballet School. She graduated at seventeen to become a member of The Royal Ballet and rose to leading roles including The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Giselle, and The Firebird, frequently dancing with husband Ronald Hynd in Europe, the United States, Australia, and Japan. Ms. Page also danced with Rudolf Nureyev in The Sleeping Beauty and La Bayadere in London, and as Giselle with Erik Bruhn. Other roles included Swanilda in Coppélia, Lise in La Fille mal Gardee, Juliet and Cinderella. She gave her final performance in Seattle as Cinderella prior to her retirement and the birth of her daughter, Louise. Ms. Page has taught and coached as a member of the Arts Council of Great Britain and was ballet mistress to the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich from 1984 to 1986. She currently assists her husband with The Sleeping Beauty, The Merry Widow, and other productions.

Peter Docherty was awarded a full professorship at the London Institute in 1966 for his outstanding achievements as a designer and educator in the field of dance. He has designed more than 60 plays, ballets, and musicals worldwide. Mr. Docherty has collaborated on more than 10 full-length ballets, including Ronald Hynd's The Nutcracker for London Festival Ballet and The Sleeping Beauty for English National Ballet. His video credits include The Nutcracker (BBC), The Sanguine Fan with Margo Fonteyn (BBC), and The Soldier's Tale. Mr. Docherty - founding organizer of Action Against AIDS from 1986 to 1987 - is also the driving force behind Design for Dance, a project that encourages collaboration between young designers and choreographers. He is entered in the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ballet, as well as in Peter Williams' Masterpieces of Ballet Design, and is the author of Design for Performance: Diaghilev to the Pet Shop Boys.

TICKET INFORMATION & DISCOUNT OFFERS

Tickets ($28-$179) may be purchased through the PNB Box Office:

• Phone: 206.441.2424 (Mon.-Fri. 9am-6pm; Sat. 10am-5pm)
• In Person: 301 Mercer Street at Seattle Center (Mon.-Fri. 10am-6pm; Sat. 10am-5pm)
• Online: PNB.org (24/7/365)

Tickets are also available 90 minutes prior to each performance at McCaw Hall, located at 321 Mercer Street. Discounted rush tickets for students and senior citizens (with ID) may be purchased day-of-show, subject to availability.

GROUP SALES

Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. For group tickets, call 206.441.2416, email juliej@pnb.org, or use PNB's online contact form at PNB.org/Season/GroupTickets.

$15 TICKETS FOR AGE 25 & UNDER

January 31 and February 6 & 7 at 7:30 pm
One ticket for $15 and two for $25 for patrons 25 years and younger! To purchase tickets, contact the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424 or visit 301 Mercer Street. This offer is good January 31 and February 6 & 7 performances only. Offer is subject to availability and not valid on previously purchased tickets. Each attendee must present valid I.D. upon ticket retrieval.

TEEN TIX

PNB is a proud partner organization of Teen Tix. As members of Teen Tix, young people 13 to 19 years old can purchase tickets to PNB performances and other music, dance, theater and arts events for only $5. To join Teen Tix or view a list of participating organizations, visit TeenTix.org.

STUDENT MATINEE

Friday, February 7, 2014, 11:30 am - Sold Out

Marion Oliver McCaw Hall

A perfect introduction to ballet, this one-hour performance will feature excerpts from The Sleeping Beauty, open set changes, and live music. The student matinee of The Sleeping Beauty is reserved for groups of 15 or more school students in grades Pre-K through 12. Please note: This event is sold out.

SPECIAL EVENTS

STUDIO PRESENTATION: Coaching The Sleeping Beauty

Thursday, January 16, 2014, 5:30 pm

The Phelps Center, 301 Mercer Street, Seattle
The role of Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty is one of ballet's most challenging and rewarding. From the Rose Adagio to the Vision scene to the Wedding pas de deux, the ballerina must portray nobility coming of age within the language of the danse d'ecole. Artistic Director Peter Boal works with PNB's Auroras in this 90-minute studio coaching session of the celebrated ballet. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased thru the PNB Box Office, 206.441.2424, online at pnb.org, or in person at 301 Mercer Street.

FRIDAY PREVIEWS
Friday, January 24, 2014, 6:00 pm, The Phelps Center
The Phelps Center, 301 Mercer Street, Seattle
Join us for an hour-long dance preview led by Artistic Director Peter Boal and featuring PNB dancers rehearsing excerpts from Ronald Hynd'sThe Sleeping Beauty. PNB Friday Previews offer an upbeat and up-close view of the Company preparing to put dance on stage. Tickets are $12 and may be purchased by calling the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424, online at pnb.org or in person at 301 Mercer Street. Note: This event will sell out in advance.

BALLET PREVIEW - FREE

Tuesday, January 28, 2014, 12:00 pm

Central Seattle Public Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue, Seattle

Join PNB for a free hour-long lunchtime preview lecture at the Central Seattle Public Library. Education Programs Manager Doug Fullington will offer insights about Ronald Hynd's The Sleeping Beauty, complete with video excerpts. FREE of charge.

PNB LECTURE SERIES & DRESS REHEARSAL

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Lecture: 6:00 pm, Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at McCaw Hall

Dress Rehearsal: 7:00 pm, McCaw Hall

Join PNB artistic staff and guests for an engaging conversation during the hour preceding the dress rehearsal. Attend the lecture only or stay for the dress rehearsal. Tickets are $12 for the lecture, or $30 for the lecture and dress rehearsal. Tickets may be purchased by calling the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424, online at pnb.org or in person at 301 Mercer Street.

LISTEN TO THE BALLET

Saturday, February 8, 2014, 7:30 pm

PNB partners with 98.1 Classical KING FM to bring listeners some of the world's most popular ballet scores, featuring the mighty Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra with principal conductor Emil de Cou, direct from McCaw Hall. Tune in to KING FM for a live broadcast of Tchaikovsky's beautifully scored The Sleeping Beauty on Saturday, February 8 at 7:30 pm. Only on 98.1 fm or online at king.org/listen.

PRE-PERFORMANCE LECTURES

Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at McCaw Hall

Join Education Programs Manager Doug Fullington for a 30-minute introduction to each performance, including discussions of choreography, music, history, design and the process of bringing The Sleeping Beauty to the stage. One hour before performances. FREEfor ticketholders. (Note: There will be no post-show Q&A's during the run of The Sleeping Beauty.)