Straz Center’s Patel Conservatory presents ‘Sleeping Beauty’
PRESS RELEASE: The Patel Conservatory at the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts will present the classical ballet, Sleeping Beauty, in Ferguson Hall on Friday and Saturday, May 9-10.
Originally choreographed by Marius Petipa with music by Peter Tchaikovsky, Sleeping Beauty has been staged and reworked by Peter Stark, Next Generation Ballet (NGB) artistic director and NGB Ballet Mistress Ivonne Lemus. The cast is led by the award-winning pre-professional dancers of NGB and supported by more than 150 Patel Conservatory Youth Ballet dancers.
The enchanting Sleeping Beauty tells the story of Princess Aurora, who is cursed by an evil fairy, causing her to sleep for 100 years before being awakened by a kiss from a brave and handsome prince. Though often regarded as a love story, Sleeping Beauty is also a struggle between the conflicting forces of good and evil.
The spectacular sets and costumes were constructed in Russia for Ballet Indianapolis and have been rented for this production.
Featured as Aurora in the Friday performance will be Hannah Stanford, who has received a full tuition scholarship to attend the Royal Ballet School of England. Her prince Florimund will be played by Ethan Fuller, a former Billy Elliot in Broadway’s touring production of the same name. Saturday’s cast features as Aurora, Florrie Geller, gold medal winner at the Youth America Grand Prix semi-finals, and as her prince, John Hewitt, gold medal winner at the Star of the 21st Century Ballet Competition in the Republic of Panama.
Performances are Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 8 p.m. Regularly priced tickets to Sleeping Beauty are $15-$40 and may be purchased by calling 813.229.STAR (7827) or 800.955.1045 outside Tampa Bay, in person at the Straz Center Ticket Office or online at www.strazcenter.org.
More information is available by calling 813.222.1002 and at www.patelconservatory.org. The non-profit Straz Center is committed to arts education as an essential part of its mission, and the fully accredited Patel Conservatory makes it all happen. Each year, the lives of more than 50,000 students are enriched in classrooms, on stages and through outreach programs. The Patel Conservatory offers classes in dance, music and theater for students of all experience levels.
