December 23, 2002
Contact: Susan Gwynne
(805) 893-2098
e-mail: gwynne-s@sa.ucsb.edu
ArtAbounds
Boundary-breaking performances
co-presented by The Lobero and UCSB Arts & Lectures
UCSB Arts & Lectures and The Lobero present Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet performing the beloved classic The Sleeping Beauty
Summary Facts:
- Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet
- The Sleeping Beauty, acclaimed the crown jewel of Russian ballet
- Second of three ArtAbounds performances presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures and The Lobero in 2002-2003
- Wednesday, February 5
- 7 pm / Arlington Theatre
- General: $45 and $35, UCSB Students: $25 (limited availability)
- Tickets/information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535 or at the Arlington Theatre at (805) 963-4408
Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet will present The Sleeping Beauty, the crown jewel of Russian ballet, on Wednesday, February 5 at 7 pm (note early curtain) in the Arlington Theatre. Guaranteed to enchant the entire family, this ballet takes the audience on a journey to an enchanted forest where good triumphs over evil in a single kiss. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, with its troupe of 32 dancers and orchestra, will perform an elegant, all-new production of The Sleeping Beauty, the ultimate achievement of one of the most remarkable creative collaborations in classical dance, featuring the glorious music of Tchaikovsky and the seamless choreography of Marius Petipa. The Vancouver Sun raves, “The production is a triumph...a jewel box of sumptuous dancing....At every moment the energy and the youth radiating from the stage is palpable. The Sleeping Beauty is pure, indulgent fantasy.”
Versatility, technical excellence and a captivating style are the trademarks of Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, qualities that have garnered both critical and audience acclaim. Founded in 1939, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet holds the double distinction of being Canada’s premier ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America. Currently under the artistic direction of André Lewis, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet features an exciting and varied repertoire, from classical story ballets to bold contemporary works. Works in the RWB repertoire include those of George Ballanchine, Agnes de Mille, Jirí Kylián and Mark Godden (who choreographed the version of Dracula that director Guy Maddin filmed for Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diary, a movie Arts & Lectures screens on Wednesday, January 29 at 7:30 pm in UCSB Campbell Hall).
All of Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s strengths—artistic elegance, physical perfection and lyric precision—shine in this resplendent version of The Sleeping Beauty. The original, breathtakingly exquisite costumes and the evocative scenery add to the fairy tale whimsy and romantic spectacle. A Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio review called The Sleeping Beauty “lavish, beautiful and very richly textured,” insisting “you won’t see it done better anywhere else in the world.”
Eleven days before the performance, UCSB faculty member and dance historian Frank W. D. Ries will prepares us for The Sleeping Beauty with an entertaining and informative lecture on Saturday, January 25 at 3 pm at the SB Museum of Art. This free event (suitable for adults to 12 year-olds), featuring slides, video and performance, will describe the genesis of the ballet and its lasting influence.
Members of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet will take part in a Meet-the-Artists discussion prior to the performance of The Sleeping Beauty on February 5 at 6 pm in the Arlington Theatre. This event is open to ticket holders only.
The performance by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet is the second ArtAbounds event of the 2002-2003 performing arts season. An innovative partnership between UCSB Arts & Lectures and The Lobero, ArtAbounds permits both presenters to bring to Santa Barbara international artists of the highest stature that neither could bring on its own. This project is funded in part by the Audience Development and Marketing Grant Program using funds provided by the City of Santa Barbara in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission. The final ArtAbounds performances will be a recital by radiant Metropolitan Opera diva Denyce Graves, mezzo-soprano and Warren Jones, piano on March 18 at UCSB Campbell Hall.
The performance of The Sleeping Beauty is presented in association with the State Street Ballet and is sponsored by Michael Towbes, the Santa Barbara News-Press, the Metropolitan Theater Corporation, Wilson Printing and KDB 93.7FM.
Tickets are $45 and $35 for the general public and $25, but in limited availability, for UCSB students.
For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at 805-893-3535
or the Arlington Theatre at 805-963-4408.
Editor: For photos, please call
Susan Gwynne at (805) 893-2098 or download them
from www.rwb.org/sk8/carabosse.html