The Sleeping Beauty – Lilac Fairy Variation (Claire Calvert, The Royal Ballet)

The Sleeping Beauty holds a special place in The Royal Ballet’s repertory. It was the ballet with which the Company reopened the Royal Opera House in 1946 after World War II, its first production at its new home in Covent Garden. Margot Fonteyn danced the role of the beautiful Princess Aurora in the first performance, with Robert Helpmann as Prince Florimund. Sixty years later, in 2006, the original 1946 staging was revived by then Director of The Royal Ballet Monica Mason and Christopher Newton, returning Oliver Messel’s wonderful designs and glittering costumes to the stage.

The masterful 19th-century choreography of Marius Petipa is combined with sections created for The Royal Ballet by Frederick Ashton, Anthony Dowell and Christopher Wheeldon. Together they create an enchanting sequence of gems in the ballet repertory – from the iconic Rose Adage, when Aurora meets her four royal suitors, and the lilting Garland Waltz to the Vision Pas de deux, as Florimund sees Aurora for the first time, and the celebratory divertissements and final pas de deux that bring the ballet to its glorious close. Throughout, Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky’s masterful score takes ballet music to a height of passion, sophistication and intensity that arguably has never been surpassed.

[RoyalBalletAndOpera]

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[stevenboston]

That is one of the hardest Lilac Fairy variations I've ever seen. Great job!! I was engaging my core and my glutes for her.

[sarahakin]

You might just be a former dancer if the most exciting part of a ballet is watching someone hit 5th. 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻

[sunnygem]

My goodness! The lightness of her movements. Just beautiful :-)

[lindaharrison]

Phew! That is a hard variation. She did a good job.

[Ivan-ftgg]

That is what I call "having technique". Fabulous !!!

[eylulvarol]

to all the people saying that her jumps are heavy and forced or something, this is her first solo role, it was said in another video

[alygoodchild]

Everything about her makes me smile 😊 the way she moves, the coordination, her feet everything just amazes me ❤️❤️

[GuilhermeAlves-mdio]

This was made for her, absolutely gorgeous

[QueenTJ]

Enchantingly magical! Sleeping Beauty is one of my favorite fairy tales and one of my favorite ballets.

[maxirodriguez]

She’s so gorgeous! I love her.:. But i still believe that no one can beat Marianela’s lilac fairy

Claire’s feet are so expressive❤️
The fairies of the Royal Ballet are the best! They’re so full of life and joy! Its a pleasure. Its there anything more charming that seeing a ballerina enjoying her art? I don’t think so

[kaylahshaylene]

Everything she does is just so magnificent

[kanacucumber]

i would kill to see the one with Sarah Lamb and Steven Mcrae that was streamed live in 2014 ;n;

[northern_mongoose]

She's a good dancer, definitely.
But somehow her jumps kinda look heavy..

[graces-eu]

i did about half this a few months ago in flat shoes with my ballet teacher during class! it was super fun and we all looked super good

[misspomerol]

I know some people are saying that her jumps looked a little heavy and she looked a little bit nervous but this lady was trying to make sure that every single fifth was on public record and boy was it ever and every single fourth position was perfectly crossed as well. I’m sure in the preceding years she has lightened up a bit but wow this is some very very exact technique on display here.

[SimplyAngel]

something seemed off with this. like it seemed heavy and stiff almost?

[andmargal]

Claire Calvert is a gret dancer and she seems like a really nice person! I loce her

[DCFunBud]

This is actual dancing. She is moving, moving, moving to the music.

[audrey]

how does she land in a perfect fifth after every that is once skill i could never achieve but she has it and it’s amazing