I set out on a mission to pick a ballet and watch an adagio from that ballet to sharpen my ability to discern how costuming and props are used to help further the story being told by the choreography. In my quest for the perfect adagios, I came across the Rose Adagios from The Sleeping Beauty, which has been called one of the hardest adagios of any ballet, ever. And since I’m never one to shy away from a challenge, the ‘hardest adagios’ sounded like the perfect choice for me (at least for analysis).

"I came across the Rose Adagios from The Sleeping Beauty, which has been called one of the hardest adagios of any ballet, ever."

Prior to watching anything, however, I learned a lot of interesting facts about the ballet that features my adagios of choice. The Sleeping Beauty story was derived from Charles Perrault’s classic fairytale, La Belle au bois dormant (Sleeping Beauty). It is about a Princess, Princess Aurora, who was cursed by Carabosse, an evil fairy, and could only wake up after being kissed by Prince Desire. The flowy, weightless choreography uses dance to display all the virtues and qualities that Princess Aurora has; qualities include beauty, purity, kindness, vitality, and musicality. The original choreographer of the ballet was Marius Petipa, and the original composer was Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, which is noteworthy as The Sleeping Beauty has gone down in history for being the first time the Russian choreographer and the Russian composer collaborated (they also collaborated on The Nut Cracker and indirectly on Swan Lake). At a remarkable 4 hours in length, it is Tchaikovsky’s longest ballet, and his score is widely admired and even used in Disney’s adaptation of the fairytale. Petipa’s choreography was quite difficult, even beyond the princess Rose Adagio which occurs during Act I of the ballet.

First performed on January 15, 1890 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the original cast of the ballet included Carlotta Brianza as Princess Aurora, Pavel Gerdt as Prince Desire, Marie Petipa as the Lilac Fairy, and Enrico Cecchetti as Carabosse. In 1911 in London, the ballet was staged with Matilda Kschessinskaya as Princess Aurora, and she and her company brought a forty-five minute abridged version of the ballet to New York City on August 31, 1916. The first full version of the ballet in the United States debuted on February 11, 1937 and was produced by the Academy of Music. While the original was 4 hours long, ballet companies today tend to shorten the score, making it about 2 hours and 20 minutes including a 20 minute intermission.

"The costume and prop choices clearly shape the aesthetic of this acclaimed ballet and aid in telling the story, which has stood the test of time."

While the history really helps to add some perspective to the ballet, there is no substitute for seeing it. From watching the Rose Adagio performed by Irina Kolpakova it becomes immediately apparent that the costuming really portrays Aurora’s immense beauty because of her costume’s individuality. It’s obviously very different from everyone else’s costume, but it’s more vibrant and eye-catching, just like her character. The suitors’ costumes are also very historically accurate, and tight-fitting enough around the legs to see their gorgeous lines. The rose that each suitor holds is the visual that gives the adagio its name and is a tangible representation of the suitors’ interest and love. Similar to the concept of giving your partner a ring when proposing, white roses were typically sent or given by suitors, during the Victorian era in which the play was conceived, to show that they wanted to start a courtship. The rose is more visually pleasing to the audience than a ring, however, and more historically accurate. It also does a great job of speaking towards the suitors’ intentions, narrating the story in a way. The flower garlands held by the corps de ballet create beautiful shapes that branch off as an extension of their port de bras, effectively making their lines look more elongated and beautiful. The garlands also show the story’s connection with nature and the fairies, and truly make the waltz they’re used in prior to the adagio look refined and connected to the story. The waltz has a youthful exuberance because of the bright colors of the flowers. The baskets held by the corps de ballet have a similar effect but give more variety in props.

The costume and prop choices clearly shape the aesthetic of this acclaimed ballet and aid in telling the story, which has stood the test of time. And without a doubt, the use of the rose, which gives the most famous adagio from this play its name, was perhaps one of the most critical prop choices made. I wonder if a Ring Adagio would’ve maintained the same degree of popularity for over a century.