Since its premiere in Russia in 1890, Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Sleeping Beauty” has been enchanting audiences of all ages the world over. This weekend, Borderlands Ballet presents four performances of the beloved ballet, featuring two internationally famous dancers – Elizaveta (Leeza) Domracheva and Aaron Smyth – and a live orchestra conducted by Jorge Martinez Rios.
“This [production] is very big, the costumes alone are huge,” Monique Foster said in this interview with Intermezzo host Leora Zeitlin, noting there will be 70 dancers on stage, including dancers from Borderlands Ballet and students from the Las Cruces School of Dance and Music.
Domracheva, who will play Aurora, is a dancer with the Ventura County Ballet, trained at Perm State Ballet Academy in Russia, and has toured with the Russian Ballet Theater, the Perm Opera and Ballet Theater, and other companies. Her parents are both dancers, and her mother, Marina Fliagina, staged this production for Borderlands Ballet. Aaron Smyth has danced with American Ballet Theatre Studio Company in New York, the Royal Ballet in London, the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, and danced alongside Misty Copeland in the film of “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.”
Foster said that when she brought in professionals of this caliber last year (including Domracheva), “I could just see my entire cast step it up, and that’s just great to see.” Listen to the entire interview to learn more about the production, the many people working behind the scenes, and how one cuts sections out of a classic ballet to shorten the performance to two hours while still maintaining the integrity of the story and music.
Performances are Friday, May 30 at 7 p.m., Saturday, May 31 at 2 p.m. and at 7 p.m, and Sunday, June 1 at 2 p.m. at the ASNMSU Theatre on the NMSU campus.
The musical clips come from “Sleeping Beauty,” by Piotr Tchaikovsky, performed by the Russian National Orchestra, Mikhail Pletnev conducting (Deutsche Grammophon cd #457634):
1. Act I, Valse (Garland Waltz)
2. Act III, “Let Petit Poucet” (Tom Thumb)
3. Act I, Coda and Finale
