'Beauty' dancers to perform complex ballet

Three dancers leaped across the stage during a Wednesday rehearsal at the Musical Arts Center.

All three were practicing for a scene in the third act, but each will have her turn as Aurora during different acts in the final performance.

The Indiana University Ballet Theater will present the full-length story ballet “The Sleeping Beauty” today and Saturday at the MAC.

Choreographer Michael Vernon said he chose to cast multiple dancers in the leading roles to display the large talent pool and also divide the stress of Marius Petipa’s iconic choreography.

“This is one of the most demanding ballets that we know that’s been handed down by this choreographer, Marius Petipa,” Vernon said. “Because we have so few performances, it would be too much of a challenge for one dancer to carry the
whole ballet.”

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s classic score carries the ballet through a prologue and three acts.

Vernon said the first act shows Aurora at age 16, the second as a vision and the third at her wedding.

“The choreography is so different for the three acts,” Vernon said. “They all require different sorts of qualities, attributes.”

Sophomore Chloe Duryea was cast as third-act Aurora for Saturday’s matinee and second-act Aurora for Saturday evening’s performance.

She said having multiple dancers cast as Aurora has provided the women with a support system.

“It’s encouraging to hear feedback from your peers,” Duryea said. “We’ve all been going through this together to try to master the difficult choreography.”

Vernon said he retained all of the known choreography from the 1890 Russian ballet, but some has been lost in time.

“We do all the original choreography that has been passed down,” Vernon said. “There are certain things — for example, the famous Garland Waltz that hasn’t been passed down. I’ve re-choreographed those.”

Vernon compared the experience of the dancers learning and performing Petipa’s choreography to an actor doing the same with a Shakespearean play.

He said he has seen great improvement from the dancers and thinks it’s been a beneficial experience for them.

“We’ve put in so many hours and really worked hard,” Duryea said. “At this point, you have to trust that your technique is there.”

A variety of talent worked behind the scenes as well. Glenda Lucena, the show’s guest ballet mistress, flew in from Venezuela to help with the show. Stuart Chafetz will guest conduct the Jacobs School of Music Concert Orchestra. The set design is C. David Higgins’ last before retirement.

“It’s a unique opportunity to see a ballet on this scale in Bloomington,” Vernon said. “The dancers have really risen to the occasion.”

Ticket information

WHEN 8 p.m. today and Saturday with an additional matinee performance at 2 p.m. Saturday

WHERE Musical Arts Center, 101 N. Jordan Ave.

MORE INFO Student tickets range in price from $10 to $25 and adult tickets from $18 to $35. The performances will also be streamed through IUMusicLive!