Grand Rapids Ballet’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’ brings fairy tale magic to life on stage
By Adrienne Warber
Yuka Oba-Muschiana as Aurora and Josué Justiz as Prince Désiré. Photo by Ray Nard Imagemaker. Photo Courtesy of Grand Rapids Ballet.
From the moment Grand Rapids Ballet opened the curtains on their production of “Sleeping Beauty,” there was magic in the air. Children and adults alike leaned forward in their seats to enter the world of the classic fairy tale as the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s music set the tone to a lush set with exquisite costumes, and gorgeous dancing by Grand Rapids Ballet. Michigan’s only professional classical ballet company presented three highly acclaimed performances of “Sleeping Beauty” at DeVos Performance Hall during the weekend of Feb. 23-25. The show highlighted the talents of Grand Rapids Ballet dancers and the company’s dedication to the art of classical ballet.
Yuka Oba-Muschiana as Aurora. Photo by Ray Nard Imagemaker. Photo Courtesy of Grand Rapids Ballet.
Devon Carney’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’
The “Sleeping Beauty” ballet was originally choreographed by Marius Petipa, which premiered at Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, on January 15, 1890. Grand Rapids Ballet presented the version of “Sleeping Beauty,” choreographed by Devon Carney, the Artistic Director of Kansas City Ballet, which the Cincinnati Ballet premiered in 2010. Carney’s choreography took inspiration by the roots of Petipa’s choreography, including sections after the Petipa choreography, to create this beautiful version. Carney’s choreography added some contemporary tones to the classical ballet, that blended nicely to create an engaging and entertaining story.
Yuka Oba-Muschiana as Aurora with “Beauty” cast. Photo by Ray Nard Imagemaker. Photo Courtesy of Grand Rapids Ballet.
Grand Rapids Ballet’s Performance Highlights
DeVos Performance Hall was packed with an excited audience of all ages at the Feb. 23 opening night performance. “Sleeping Beauty” is a fairy tale with a love story and heroes that defeat a worthy villain. The combination of the ornate set, jewel-toned costumes, the beauty of the live music from the Grand Rapids Symphony felt like a painting coming to life. It was obvious the audience enjoyed the show from moments of a child’s happy laughter, gasps of delight when beautiful costumes were revealed, soft singing of Disney “Sleeping Beauty” lyrics by a child in the audience when a famous Tchaikovsky music score played, and animated conversations at intermission. The audience was experiencing the beloved fairy tale as the story unfolded in dance.
Grand Rapids Ballet cast their characters well. Lead dancers, highlighted dancers, and the corps de ballet all danced beautifully with expert technique and acting skills. Grand Rapids Ballet company dancers and Grand Rapids Ballet School Junior Company dancers presented a very enjoyable performance.
Yuka Oba-Muschiana as Aurora and Josué Justiz as Prince Désiré. Photo by Ray Nard Imagemaker. Photo Courtesy of Grand Rapids Ballet.
Yuka Oba-Muschiana was a wonderful Aurora, well-partnered by Josué Justiz, as a dashing Prince Désiré. Oba-Muschiana and Justiz are a pair of truly gifted dancers. Their high level of dance technique is equally met with the superb acting skill and emotion. Oba-Muschiana’s exceptional talent was showcased in her flawless performance of the Rose Adagio piece, which contains some highly challenging ballet technique. Emily Reed was an entertaining villain as Carabosse. Reed’s performances with her attendants were highlights of the show due to her great dance technique and character expression. The attendants, portrayed by Tyler Diggs, Isaac Lee, Nigel Tau, and Sterling Waterfield, gave impressive performance and appropriately creepy atmosphere to the numbers. Carney’s choreography for the Carabosse pieces really added spice and a sense of danger to the story.
Sarah Marley stood out as the heroic Lilac Fairy, who saved Aurora from Carabosse’s fatal spell. Many might only remember the prince’s kiss waking up the princess to save the day in the popular fairy tale, but Marley’s performance reminds us that it was the Lilac Fairy who was the true hero. She gave a beautiful and graceful performance in her numbers. Marley’s talent shines as one of Grand Rapids Ballet’s most gifted dancers.
Emily Reed as Carabosse with her assistants. Photo by Ray Nard Imagemaker. Photo Courtesy of Grand Rapids Ballet.
Noteworthy Numbers
Highlighted performances of the show include Cattalabutte, the king and queen, the fairies, the bluebird number, the white cat with Puss-in-Boots, and Little Red Riding Hood with the Gray Wolf numbers. Guest artists Nicholas Bradley Gray as Cattalabutte, Jon Upleger as King Florestan XXIV, and Cynthia Sofranko as the Queen all gave great character performances. The fairies played by Talia Lebowitz, Adriana Wagenveld, Rena Takahashi, Isabella Salas, and Rowan Allegra brought a lot of personality to their performances during the christening scene. Rena Takahashi and Julian Gan gave an outstanding performance as Princess Florine and the Bluebird. They seemed to fly across the stage. The two were well-paired to craft a lovely memorable performance. Anyone who has a cat will recognize how well Talia Lebowitz interwove feline movements in her delightful performance as the White Cat with Tyler Diggs as Puss-in-Boots. Isabella Salas and Nigel Tau also gave an enjoyable portrayal of Little Red Riding and the Big Bad Wolf in their piece.
Grand Rapids Ballet corps de ballet in “Sleeping Beauty.” Photo by Ray Nard Imagemaker. Photo Courtesy of Grand Rapids Ballet.
The corps de ballet performances by Grand Rapids Ballet Company dancers and Grand Rapids Ballet School Junior Company dancers were also lovely to behold in the Garland Waltz and Nymphs numbers. Student dancers worked seamlessly with company dancers to present excellent performances in the Garland Waltz and as royal pages. Grand Rapids Ballet’s strong corps de ballet gave some of the most memorable performances.
Rena Takahashi Princess Florine and Julian Gan as the Bluebird. Photo by Ray Nard Imagemaker. Photo Courtesy of Grand Rapids Ballet.
A Delighted Audience
The audience gave a standing ovation on opening night. It was clear that they enjoyed the show from the strength of their clapping, a tear in some eyes, the delighted expressions of children, and smiles on many faces. By their happy reactions, it is likely many of these audience members will be eager to attend future Grand Rapids Ballet shows. Grand Rapids Ballet should be proud of their outstanding production of “Sleeping Beauty,” which was both a work of art and a highly entertaining show. West Michigan’s dance art treasure, Grand Rapids Ballet’s productions are of the same high caliber as any ballet in larger cities like New York. Dance fans may want to secure tickets soon to their next 2023-24 Season shows. The Grand Rapids Ballet School will perform “Snow White” for the two the weekends of March 8-10 and March 16-17. Grand Rapids Ballet’s contemporary dance and choreography series “Jumpstart 2024” will run March 22- 24. Hurry, tickets may go fast.
Yuka Oba-Muschiana as Aurora and Josué Justiz as Prince Désiré . Photo by Ray Nard Imagemaker. Photo Courtesy of Grand Rapids Ballet.