the enchantment of Sleeping Beauty

The story is a classic: A beautiful princess is destined by a terrible curse to prick her finger and fall into a deep sleep. Pennsylvania Ballet’s mammoth production, with choreography by Marius Petipa, explores the romantic, humorous and suspenseful tale featuring three magical fairies and a valiant Prince who vows to rescue his beloved from the evil spell. Join us for the spectacular adventure, performed to the famous Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky score — his first major success in ballet composition!

Thus describes the Pennsylvania Ballet's production of "Sleeping Beauty" which we went to as a gift from Seth for my birthday last week. And it was all that it promised to be ... and more. I loved the way dance, story, and music intertwined to produce an experience that was, pardon the pun, enchanting.

There is something about each of those elements that calls us to a transcendent Beauty in and of itself: the sounds of a live orchestra performance, the elegant simplicity of ballet, and the proven worth of a classic fairytale. Put them all together, and I'm absolutely sure that it was my favorite performance I've attended. Thank you to my amazing husband for the perfect gift!

It certainly helps to capture my imagination because my secret dream is to become a professional ballerina if counseling doesn't work out. Now what's truly humorous about that is I've never taken a ballet class in my life. Maybe now that I'm finished with my degree this is a way I can spend my free time...