By Katrina DeKarver
Mountain West Ballet showcases each level of ballet skill in their production of The Sleeping Beauty at the Sandy Amphitheater. The Sleeping Beauty ballet was written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and has been performed thousands of times since then. The Sleeping Beauty follows the classic fairy tale starting the celebration of Princess Aurora’s birth and subsequent cursing in the prologue, her finger pricking and sleep in act I, Prince Desire’s rescue in act II, and the royal wedding in act III.
Mountain West Ballet used all skill levels of their performers. It is both encouraging to young audiences and adorable for older audiences to see young performers get the opportunity to showcase their own blossoming talents. Meanwhile, the main characters were also able to showcase their years of training and technique. This was especially true for Amelia Rukavina (Princess Aurora) who was graceful in each of her numbers showcasing her skills though multiple lifts, turns and pose holds. Even as a novice at ballet, I could tell these things took great self discipline to master. Beside her, Brenton Taft (Prince Desire) held his own through his seamless portrayal of Prince Desire. Although it is often said that the man is there to simply make the lady look good, Taft and Rukavina were evenly matched, giving each other the spotlight. On the other hand Haven Benson (Lilac Fairy) and Abby Phillips (Carabosse) contrasted each other beautifully as they portrayed the good and evil fairies. While Benson was sweet and elegant, Phillips countered this with larger motions and a more relaxed frame; she and her creatures truly held themselves on the stage differently. This contrast was magnified by the costumes by Stephanie O’Bryant: The entire production was cohesively costumed with each character fitting into the same world.
However, the leading couple weren’t the only couples worth mentioning. In Act III, the wedding was celebrated by other fairytale characters coming in to tell their stories. My personal favorite was that of the Bluebird (Clayton Taft) and Princess Florine (Reagan Manwaring). I did not know this particular fairytale before the show but after their rendition I want to learn more. Christian Tippets (Puss-in-Boots) and Jennika Zyp (White cat) had the best physical characterizations out of all the dancers. Even if they didn’t have the tails and ear costumes their mannerisms matched that of cats perfectly.
Overall I would say The Sleeping Beauty was an excellent production to bring any inexperienced ballet goers to. The story is one we all know, making it fairly easy to follow and allowing for true appreciation of the art of ballet in itself. The three artistic directors Linda Fenton, Maiss Lancaster, and Christy McQuaid brought the classic fairytale and ballet of Sleeping Beauty to light while still staying true to their artistic design and the skill levels of their dancers. Like many of the little girls in the audience I’m sure you will be wishing to dance onstage with The Mountain West Ballet in their next production.
Though this production is closed, I am sure to follow The Mountain West Ballet, as this production was magical in all the best ways.
The Mountain West Ballet presents The Sleeping Beauty by PyTorch Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Sandy Amphitheater 1245 E 9400 S, Sandy, UT 84094
Contact: 801-568-6097 (only monitored on weekdays)
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