Featuring Tchaikovsky’s enchanting music, the most beautiful fairy-tale ballet is brought to life by the talented young ballet students of the Hungarian State Opera. In the highly successful production Little Sleeping Beauty by the Hungarian National Ballet Institute, children will once again reach out to children on 25 & 26 October 25, and 2 November 2025, to introduce them to the beautiful world of classical ballet.
At Princess Aurora’s christening, the vain and wicked fairy Carabosse casts a curse on her, but thanks to the intercession of the Lilac Fairy, the deadly spell is softened into a hundred-year sleep, from which a brave prince eventually awakens the young girl. This fairy tale, which has captured children’s imagination for centuries in countless versions, took on its enduring stage form in 1890 through the collaboration of composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreographer Marius Petipa, premiered by the Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg, and became one of the cornerstones of the classical ballet repertoire.
The Hungarian National Ballet Institute, which operates as the ballet school of the Hungarian State Opera, created the performance Little Sleeping Beauty in 2023 under the artistic direction of Dace Radina. Following the success of their earlier production Little Swans Lake, this ballet also offers a unique family experience where young audiences can see their peers performing on stage. The creators hope that the magic of the fairy tale will also inspire children’s interest in classical ballet. In addition to classical Petipa-style ballet steps, the performance incorporates modern dance elements in Carabosse’s movements, while in the palace scene, fairy-tale characters such as Gulliver and the Lilliputians perform a tap dance variation, showcasing the versatile training of the HNBI students.
The role of Aurora is performed by Lilla Emese Varga, chamber artist of the Hungarian National Ballet Institute, and Elena Sharipova, grand sujet of the Hungarian National Ballet. Their partners as the Prince are grand sujet Dumitru Taran and principal dancer Dmitry Timofeev, both from the adult company. Other main roles are portrayed by ballet students Helka Regényi and Léna Petrovics (Lilac Fairy), Lili Csenge Koltay-Szabó and Blanka Rácz-Fazakas (Carabosse), as well as Julianna Éva Pollák and Zsófia Enikő Albert (young Aurora). The narrator is opera singer and experienced storyteller and mother Zita Szemere.
Little Sleeping Beauty will be performed a total of four times this season: 25 October (morning and afternoon), 26 October (morning), and 2 November (morning), at the Eiffel Art Studios of the Hungarian State Opera.
Photo by Attila Nagy
