Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) has long needed a new production of The Sleeping Beauty. Featuring Marius Petipa’s sublime choreography and Tchaikovsky’s glorious score, the work is the pinnacle of pure 19th century classical ballet and an essential part of any ballet troupe’s repertoire – as well as a supreme test of its female dancers.
HKB’s 2010 staging by Cynthia Harvey (last revived in 2021) was hampered by eccentric costume designs, including floppy travesties of tutus, and a sub-par version of Act 2. Its predecessor, by then artistic director Stephen Jefferies, was a straightforward reading with a strong narrative and attractive if simpler designs, reflecting the company’s more limited resources at that time.
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