The story
At Princess Aurora’s christening, Carabosse places a curse on the child. The Lilac Fairy softens its outcome: instead of death, Aurora will fall into a hundred-year sleep. The celebrations of her sixteenth birthday bring the threat into focus, before the story travels towards an awakening and a wedding.
Origins and musical world
The Sleeping Beauty premiered in St Petersburg in 1890, bringing together Marius Petipa’s choreography and Tchaikovsky’s music. Modern productions credit their own staging and revisions; the original date is a historical reference rather than the date of the film you may choose to watch.
A moment to recognise
The Rose Adagio introduces Aurora to four suitors. Its sustained balances make control visible, but it also asks the performer to maintain character and musical continuity while negotiating difficult transitions.
LookBallet viewing guide
During the Rose Adagio, resist watching only for how long a balance lasts. Follow the way Aurora accepts and releases each hand, and how she carries the movement into the next phrase. Elsewhere, compare the fairies’ gestures: what sort of personality do you read from speed, direction and the placement of the head?
Choosing a recording
Check whether the programme is the complete ballet or selected scenes. Production length, interval inclusion and filming format should be read from the specific listing. A stage-production page is useful for background, but does not by itself establish that a stream is available.
Sources and further reading
- English National Ballet — sleeping beauty
- English National Ballet — the sleeping beauty history
- English National Ballet — 5 things you didnt know about the sleeping beauty
Sources reviewed: 15 October 2026. Viewing suggestions are LookBallet editorial guidance.
