SYNOPSIS:

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Vignette

Long ago, two rival kingdoms sat side by side, the human kingdom and one inhabited by fairies, gentle supernatural creatures.  A young fairy girl named Carabosse and a human boy named Florestan with no real home had, against natural law, become great friends.  One day the boy was drawn to the possibility of royal life when he was introduced to a princess (future Queen). His thirst for a life in the kingdom overcame his friendship with Carabosse and he chose to leave with the princess. The young fairy was devastated her friend chose to leave her.

Prologue

King Florestan the XXIV declares a grand christening ceremony to be held in honor of the birth of his daughter, Princess Aurora. An entourage of six fairies are invited to the christening to be godmothers to the child. They are the Candide Fairy, the Coulante Fairy, the Miettes Fairy, the Canari Fairy, the Violente Fairy and finally the Lilac Fairy. As the fairies are happily granting gifts of honesty, grace, prosperity, song and generosity, they are suddenly interrupted by the sudden presence of the evil fairy Carabosse, who is furious at the King’s failure to invite her to the ceremony. The King blames this on the Master of Ceremonies, Catalabutte, and she rips off his wig. With spite and rage, Carabosse declares her curse on Princess Aurora; she will prick her finger on her 16th birthday and die. The Lilac Fairy, fortunately, has not granted her gift to the Princess. She acknowledges that Carabosse’s power is immense and she cannot completely reverse the curse. However, she declares, although the Princess will prick her finger, she will not die, but instead sleep for 100 years until the kiss of a prince will awake her.

Act I: The Spell

It is Princess Aurora’s 16th birthday. Celebrations are already elaborately planned and the atmosphere is festive. Aurora receives four suitors and their gifts of exquisite roses. Soon after, Aurora is presented with a gift, which she has never seen before. Carelessly, she dances with it despite her mother’s and father’s warnings before accidentally pricking herself. She faints. Carabosse immediately reveals her true wicked self triumphantly and vanishes before the astonished guests. At the same moment, the Lilac Fairy appears as she had promised. She reminds the guests and the King and Queen of her gift that will make Aurora merely sleep, not die. She then casts a spell upon the whole kingdom and they will only awake when Aurora does.

Act II: The Vision

One hundred years later, Prince Désiré is at a hunting party with his companions. He is not happy and his hunting party tries to cheer him up with a series of dances. Still unhappy, he asks to be alone and the hunting party depart. Suddenly, Désiré sees the Lilac Fairy who presents him with a vision of Aurora and he is entranced by her beauty. The Prince pleads with the Lilac Fairy to bring him to see Princess Aurora, to which the latter consents. The Prince discovers the castle, which is now overgrown in thick vines. His first act is to defeat Carabosse. Once past her and inside the castle, the Prince finds Aurora and awakens her with a kiss. The entire kingdom awakes with her. The Prince then declares his love for Aurora and proposes to her. The King and the Queen are happy to give their blessings.

Act III: The Wedding

Preparations for the wedding are made. On the day of the festivities, different
fairies are invited. These are the jeweled fairies to bless the marriage – Ruby,
Emerald, Sapphire and Diamond. The Lilac Fairy also makes an appearance. Many fairytale characters, such as Puss-in-Boots and the White Cat, are also among the guests. A golden chain of dances is held, including a Pas de Quatre for the four precious jewel fairies, a dance for Puss-in-Boots and the White Cat, a Pas de Deux for the Bluebird and Princess Florine, a dance for Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, a dance for Cinderella and Prince Fortune, a Sarabande, a Pas de Deux for Aurora and Désiré and finally a mazurka. The Prince and the Princess are wed, and the Lilac Fairy blesses their marriage. The ballet ends with an apotheosis where all the characters make a final bow.