Costumes, set part of IU Ballet's complex production of a classic show

“The Sleeping Beauty” is one of many famous ballets composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and the IU Opera and Ballet Theater brought the performance to life Friday evening at the Musical Arts Center.

Tornado warnings and IU men’s basketball’s Sweet 16 game didn’t keep ballet lovers from attending opening night.

Children, college students and community members filed in to watch IU Ballet’s first full-length production in seven years.

“I appreciate the classic ballet a lot,” said freshman Mante Baliutaviciute, a double major in dance and exercise science. “Without classical, you couldn’t move forward. You couldn’t get contemporary, you couldn’t get modern — everything traces back to the classical ballet.”

The ballet was originally choreographed by Marius Petipa, but choreographer Michael Vernon, chair of the Jacobs School of Music Ballet Department, was the one to cast several dancers for each lead role.

On Friday, senior Jordan Martin danced as Act I Princess Aurora, junior Gabriela Johnson danced for Act II, and sophomore Samantha Nagy-Chow danced for
Act III.

Because some of Petipa’s original choreography has been lost over time, Vernon had to choreograph some dances in IU’s performance of the ballet. In an “En Pointe” talk before the show, Vernon said he also choreographed the prince’s solo and the hunt in Act II to shorten it.

Vernon said that in the era of Tchaikovsky and Petipa, Russian ballets would often last four or five hours. IU Ballet’s performance of “The Sleeping Beauty” was almost three hours long.

“People were used to far different entertainment than we are now,” Vernon said. “They had elephants, horses, real waterfalls — a huge spectacle.”

Even without live animals, the ballet was a sight to behold.

Music swelled as the lilac fairy danced in during the prologue surrounded by fellow fairies.

Former Jacobs Opera Studies Chair C. David Higgins’ set sparkled alongside magnificent costumes, courtesy of the Cincinnati Ballet. “Beauty” was Higgins’ last set design before his retirement.

Dancers handled complex choreography gracefully, letting the personality of the roles shine through in their performances.

Vernon and sophomore Chloe Duryea, who played Act II Princess Aurora on Saturday evening, both aptly described second-act Aurora as “ethereal.”

Earlier, during his “En Pointe” talk, Vernon explained common mimes that help the ballet tell a story.

Arms down with wrists crossed means “dead,” hands underneath a tilted head means “sleep,” and a dramatic point toward a left ring finger means “marriage.”

“In ballet, we can say very basic things,” Vernon said. “It’s like a whole language on its own.”

Conductor Stuart Chafetz briefly stopped by to talk with audience members and answer questions. He advised Tchaikovsky fans to listen for musical motifs from “The Nutcracker” in the score of “The Sleeping Beauty.”

“It’s such an honor to have the opportunity to do this ballet,” Chafetz said. “Tchaikovsky had a formula to write a really perfect ballet.”

Baliutaviciute said she thinks everyone should go see a ballet because art is important and should not be dismissed so easily.

Similarly, Vernon said ballet is as accessible as any other art form.

“I think ballet speaks for itself,” Vernon told the small audience.

“It’s like going to an art gallery. They can love it or not. There’s something for everyone.”