Performance Database

Alternative title: Fairy Tales from ''The Sleeping Beauty''
Choreographer: Marius Petipa
Composer: Piotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Costume designer: Andrée Howard
Rambert premiere: 20 Dec 1930, Marie Rambert Dancers, Lyric Hammersmith, London
World premiere: 15 Jan 1890, Imperial Russian Ballet, Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg, Russia
Work note: The Rambert company performed selections from 'The Sleeping Beauty', never the full ballet. In 1928, individual variations were danced as divertissements. In 1930, a selection of variations was performed under the title 'Fairy Tales from The Sleeping Beauty' (it included the Sugar Plum Fairy solo from 'The Nutcracker'). From 1931, 'Aurora's Wedding' was used as the title for a varying selection of dances, including those from earlier acts in 'The Sleeping Beauty' (not only Act III) as well as from 'The Nutcracker', typically the Chinese Dance (Danse Chinoise) and the Grand pas de deux (Sugar Plum Fairy pas de deux). The Blue Bird pas de deux from Act III of 'The Sleeping Beauty' was often performed as a separate work. In the early 1930s, its title was given as 'Bluebird and the Prince' or 'Blue Bird and the Prince', but by the mid-1930s, the title became simply 'Bluebird' or 'Blue Bird'.
Production note: In 1928, Susan Salaman designed the costumes worn by Diana Gould, Andrée Howard, and Elizabeth Millar in the divertissements.
Revival credits: 1947 revival of 'Bluebird': Costume designer: Harry Cordwell
Music title: The Sleeping Beauty, Opus 66 (1889)
Music details: Live music: initially piano, later a chamber orchestra
Source: Programmes and reference file in the Rambert Archive
Archive catalogue: WORK/0019; WORK/0013