Sleeping Beauty - A Gothic Romance (Music By Tchaikovsky)[DVD]

Matthew Bourne is a genius. His eye for fine dancers and storytelling is to say the least. He has proven that many times. His reinventing of « Swan Lake » is an perfect example as is this recent production of « Sleeping Beauty. »The dancing in « Sleeping Beauty » is superb and the three leads are brillant in their respective roles. The choreography is a blend of classic and contemporary dance that works well for the dancers.Not only is the dancing of the three leads first rate but their facial expressions accentuate their emotions. Watch closely.And of course the beautiful score by Tchaikovsky is well polished by the fine orchestra and fits the choreography perfectly.It might be a good idea to watch the documentary before the ballet because it follows Bourne’s concept of the project to its development and then to the final production. It was great to see Bourne in action, interacting with his dancers, musiciens, etc.This production is not to be missed. Highly recommended.

With music by Tchaikovsky, choreography by Matthew Bourne, and British dancers, there is only one possible outcome - a work of pure genius! This dance production is one of the finest I have seen in my life. (That is over 40 years of dance.) Matthew Bourne interprets Sleeping Beauty with a modern outlook, but without resorting to silly nonsense or annoying situations. His telling of the story through dance, theater, magic, music, acting, and a few tricks which I won't give away all add up to create a lavish spectacular dance event. The dance is a unique mixture of ballet and modern dance. We are not subject to those acrobatic feats that so many today think make good dancing. They don't. I can say this because my grandfather was an acrobat, and he never considered what he did to be dancing. The greatest moment in all ballet is the "Rose Adagio." It is always scary to see a different way of choreographing the pieces everybody knows and loves. Bourne and his dancers do not disappoint us. His adagio is youthful and vibrant, and fills Tchaikovsky's music with the exhilaration worthy of Paul Taylor. I usually only pay attention to the ballerina in a ballet performance, but I had a different experience with this production. I was fortunate to have seen it live at the City Center Theater in NYC a few days ago. I had a front row seat, so I was able to appreciate every movement and facial expression. Most of the dancers on the DVD are different than the ones I saw perform. However, my favorite performer at the live performance was Christopher Marney, as Count Lilac. He performs in the DVD production. I was taken by him because he is technically perfect while still being expressive, dramatic, and romantic. His leg and arm extensions go on forever, thereby giving his dancing a beautiful grace with a never ending line. He has moved on to the next steps, and I can still see his long, gracious movements sweeping through the air. The entire cast on this DVD is brilliant, as were the performers I saw. If you are a balletomane, you must have this once in a lifetime experience. Unfortunately. few people will be able to see this performance live because the arts in the USA have lost funding. If you cannot see this show live, this DVD will be a treat. The sound is clear, and the video is perfect. It is very difficult to film dance well. The technicians on this project did a great job. We see the entire spectacle when we need to, and we see enough close-ups to appreciate the dancers as people. I love this production. You will too. Without the slightest reservation or doubt, I tell you to treat yourself to this magnificent experience. It is family friendly. Enjoy it with those you love.

I had seen other productions but found this one to be spell binding even with its twists - well danced and stagedBob

Matthew Bourne has delivered again- An old familiar piece in wonderful new form.The entire production is luscious. The dancing is superb. The music is beautiful, and matches the dancing very well. The costumes are elaborate and heavy and decadent, not always allowing the dancers to show their art, but beautiful. The change in costumes and setting from 1891 to over a century later is very well done, even to the use of cellphones and their cameras. The heavy costumes can be forgiven as the over all effect is one of beauty and grace. The entire production is well thought out, well choreographed in a wonderful mixture of traditional ballet and modern dance.The story is well told and comes through loud and clear, not always true in ballet. There are many nuances of the story that are explicitly brought out. e.g. Watch the uses of the bedroom window and its shutter. The lovers (David North and Hannah Vassallo) are wonderful with each other. Adam Maskell as both Carabosse, the dark fairy and her son Caradoc is wonderfully evil in both roles, and the character dies a well deserved death. The concept of the little doll for both the infant Aurora and in the surprise ending is marvelous. Count Lilac (Christopher Marney) is well portrayed and danced in an unusual over the top, decadent fashion.Beautiful. A new setting of an old tale. Bourne triumphs again. The production is billed as a gothic romance, and such it is, with all the trappings. Sit back and enjoy a wonderful performance.The dvd was very good quality, with both picture and sound well reproduced.

If you like ballet and True Blood, this one is for you. The vampire prince's dance with the unconscious princess will curl your hair.

I'm not usually a fan of modern "reimaginings" of classic ballets or operas, but this one, which recasts SLeeping Beauty as a vampire tale, worked for me.The quality of the dancing is amazing, and I'll leave it for others to compare it to other productions and companies (I don't know enough to say anything on that score). But really I'm reviewing what Matthew Bourne did with the story, including the costuming and sets. And it's nothing short of brilliant, in my opinion.If you're a fan of ballet generally, I highly recommend checking this out, and coming to it with an open mind as to the changes/liberties taken with the story. I think you will not be disappointed if you do.

Matthew is a genus! Has a great eye for talented dancers!

Hervorragend!

Swan Lake will always be my favourite ballet but Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty is an extremely close second! I was lucky enough to see a live performance of this ballet at Liverpool Empire Theatre and it was one of the best ballet performances I have ever been to.The subtitle is 'a gothic romance' and the characters, costumes and backdrops are all superb. The ballet consists of four acts:(1) 1890: The Baby Aurora(2) 1911: Aurora Comes of Age(3) 2011: Aurora Wakes Up(4) Yesterday: Aurora's WeddingThe music by Tchaikovsky is nothing short of epic, as the music is in Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. When the Sleeping Beauty Waltz in Act 2 played at Liverpool Empire Theatre the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. It's great to see this ballet on DVD but nothing compares to the live experience.The DVD comes complete with a 53 minute long documentary entitled 'Imagine-A Beauty is Born: Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty' and it was interesting to learn in the documentary that the vampiric elements in the ballet were inspired by the television series True Blood and that Matthew Bourne draws inspiration from a lot of films in his ballet productions. There is also a booklet enclosed explaining the seeds of inspiration behind the production.This is a magnificent and wonderful ballet and words don't do it justice, you need to see it for yourself. If you've missed the opportunity to see it live or if you have seen it live and would like to relive those magisterial moments again then add this DVD to your basket-you won't be disappointed!

Ho acquistato il prodotto dopo che sono andato a vedereil balletto dal vivo.Consigliato per chi ama il balletto, ma anche per chi vuole provarea vedere questa disciplina artistica per la prima volta.I costumi e le ambientazioni sono bellissimi e ben curatimi ha stupito, e così mi sono preso il dvd

マシュー・ボウンの振付けのチャイコフスキー３大バレーの完結作？現代と過去を行き来する時間の中で繰り広げられる物語が面白い。

Matthew Bourne est un danseur et chorégraphe anglais né en 1959 qui a fondé sa propre compagnie de danse " Adventure in Motion Picture ».Passionné par le répertoire russe, après l’Oiseau de Feu de Stravinsky en 1988, il entreprend ensuite la "trilogie" Tchaïkovsky :1993 : Casse-Noisette; 1995 : Le lac des Cygnes (version...gay - excellente et bouleversante version), enfin 2012 : La Belle au Bois Dormant.Fidèle donc à sa politique, Matthew Bourne choisit un point de vue très neuf sur cette partition et ce sujet:Ici foin des tutus "pour les filles" et des collants "pour les garçons"; Grâce au ciel, merci !!Surfant sur la vague de mode actuelle cinématographique,il a imaginé une histoire… gothique (!); transformant les fées du premier acte en « gentils vampires « et Carabosse en Prétresse de Messe Noire.Il construit son histoire de façon très logique : Il redéfinit les trois actes en quatre parties bien distinctes; il utilise comme matériel musical la version « traditionnelle » de l’oeuvre, retirant donc grosso modo 1 heure de musique, mais garde les meilleures pages de Tchaïkovsky - soit dit en passant il est regrettable de ne pas savoir le nom de l'orchestre qui est très bon.Le début (prologue devenu ici acte I), se passe ici en 1890, car la musique de Tchaïkovsky correspond parfaitement bien entendu à cet esthétisme; le second acte en 1911 (Aurore a 20 ans ); le troisième acte … en 2011 (!), ce qui n’est pas dénué de surprise ni de poésie. Enfin le quatrième acte, intitulé « Yesterday » se passe dans un premier temps dans une boîte de nuit gothique, où le gentil vampire, protecteur du jeune homme (le Prince Désiré , dans la version traditionnelle), tuera le fils de Carabosse, démon.Cela peut paraître étrange, mais fonctionne à merveille, et la logique implacable de Bourne fait mouche à tous les coups. Son Corps de ballet est remarquable d’élégance, de souplesse…. L’esthétisme tout aussi remarquable de la production ( beauté des décors et somptuosité des costumes ) ajoute à la magie du spectacle ! Et parfois un humour bienvenu pointe le bout de son nez ( ah ! l'adorable poupon inénarrable qui incarne Aurore au premier acte - sans compter la surprise du final )…Certains numéros sont absolument emplis de poésie, comme le final du deuxième acte, ou le jeune homme pour attendre sa belle, accepte le baiser du vampire, image sublime s'il en est !Les ballets de Matthew Bourne - tout en préservant une chorégraphie somme toute classique du ballet - proposent un nouveau regard sur ces oeuvres, et du coup comme pour le monde de l' opéra, nos grands ballets classiques et romantiques peuvent soutenir à leur tour un langage contemporain mais respectueux.A voir absolument !