Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's THE SLEEPING BEAUTY With The PBT Orchestra Opens Next Weekend

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's The Sleeping Beauty with the PBT Orchestra will open next Friday at the Benedum Center. The production will run May 19-21 with five performances, including a student matinee, and is presented by PNC. The Sleeping Beauty is the first full-length ballet staged and directed for the company by Artistic Director Adam W. McKinney. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre will perform The Sleeping Beauty based on the original 1890 choreography by Marius Petipa with original music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Four couples will portray the roles of Aurora and Prince Désiré. Principal Dancers Hannah Carter and Yoshiaki Nakano will return in the lead roles they have danced in previous PBT productions of the classic ballet. Soloists Tommie Lin O'Hanlon and JoAnna Schmidt and corps de ballet dancer Grace Rookstool will also each dance the role of Princess Aurora, all for the first time at PBT. Principal dancer Lucius Kirst and soloists Corey Bourbonniere and Colin McCaslin will take their first PBT turns as Prince Désiré. The couples will dance in the lead roles for the following performances:

• JoAnna Schmidt and Corey Bourbonniere: Friday, May 19 at 12:00pm (student matinee)
• Hannah Carter and Lucius Kirst: Friday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m.
• Grace Rookstool and Yoshiaki Nakano, Saturday, May 20 at 2:00 p.m.
• Tommie Lin O'Hanlon and Colin McCaslin: Sunday, May 21 at 2 p.m.

The full casting list can be found here.

"I am incredibly proud of the artists for taking on these iconic and beautiful roles. They are dancing quite beautifully" said Adam W. McKinney, artistic director at PBT. "The Sleeping Beauty is one of the greatest of the classical story ballets - a tour de force of classical choreography and fairytale charm. Its challenging choreography is often considered the gold standard for classical ballet technique. We are thrilled to share this updated version with our Pittsburgh audiences."

In the 130 years since its 1890 premiere in St. Petersburg, Russia, The Sleeping Beauty has captivated the hearts of audiences worldwide with its themes of love and overcoming adversity. The ballet comes to life with spectacular scenery, glittering costumes and impeccable choreography. Audiences of all ages will revel in the storybook characters and delightful dances by Princess Aurora and Prince Désiré, six fairies and the evil Carabosse.