UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Moscow Festival Ballet will perform “The Sleeping Beauty,” often called the finest achievement of classical ballet, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 31, in Eisenhower Auditorium.
The family-friendly production is set to a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the composer also known for creating the music for “The Nutcracker” and “Swan Lake” ballets.
A timeless fairy tale by Charles Perrault inspired the ballet. An evil fairy condemns a baby princess to prick her finger and die on her 16th birthday. But the Lilac Fairy saves the child by changing the curse so that when injured, the princess will fall into a deep sleep until awakened by a prince’s kiss. The ballet takes place in a storybook kingdom complete with magical stage effects, courtly splendor, a beautiful princess and a dreamy prince.
Moscow Festival Ballet was founded in 1989 by Bolshoi Ballet principal dancer Sergei Radchenko, who still leads the company as artistic director.
The Passionate Supporters of Dance — Judy Albrecht, Lynn Sidehamer Brown, Elizabeth Hanley, Debra Latta, Kimberly Watkins and Pat Williams — are sponsoring the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State presentation. Radio station MAJIC 99 is the media sponsor.
Artistic Viewpoints, an informal discussion featuring a visiting artist or artists, is offered in Eisenhower one hour before the performance. The event is free to ticket holders and regularly fills to capacity, so seating is available on a first-arrival basis.
Audio description, which is especially helpful to patrons with sight loss, is available for this performance at no extra charge to ticket holders.