By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
True to its reputation for excellence, the Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) delivered a breathtaking interpretation of The Sleeping Beauty that captivated audiences with its artistry, storytelling, and cultural depth. Originally created in 1890 in St. Petersburg, Russia, with a score composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreography by Marius Petipa, The Sleeping Beauty remains a pillar of classical ballet repertory.
“It is with great excitement that PNB presents our all-new production of The Sleeping Beauty,” said Peter Boal, Artistic Director. “You may ask what’s all-new when the original Beauty premiered 135 years ago – we imagined a Beauty set in a mythical land resembling the Pacific Northwest. We wanted a Beauty that anyone could step into, explore, and discover. We recognized a great ballet from 1890 could benefit from reimagining.”
PNB is renowned for discovering and nurturing exceptional ballet talent while presenting some of the world’s most iconic productions. For first-time attendees like Jordan, an aircraft structural technician, and Maleah, a property manager, the experience was both exciting and unforgettable.
“My first ballet,” Jordan shared. “It was entertaining and very nice, a new experience for sure.”
Maleah, impressed by the diversity of the cast, expressed excitement about seeing future performances. “This was really exciting and nice,” she said. “I loved the fact that there was a lot of diversity in the cast.”
The performance featured Angelica Generosa as Princess Aurora and Jonathan Batista as Prince Désiré, with a supporting ensemble that glided across the stage in a seamless tapestry of movement. Each dancer executed intricate choreography with precision and grace, their bodies weaving an emotional and visually stunning narrative perfectly aligned with Tchaikovsky’s sweeping score.
Told through the poetry of movement, The Sleeping Beauty captivated the audience, leaving them emotionally transported by the sheer artistry on display. At the final curtain, the performance was met with a standing ovation, a testament to the impact of PNB’s creative vision.
“The beauty in this production is in the shared effort,” said Boal. “It extends far beyond the physical dancing and building of sets, props, and costumes. Tchaikovsky’s score, expertly played by the PNB orchestra, offers the ground upon which we dance and the heights to which we soar.”
The production’s set and costume design paid homage to the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest, incorporating Native artistic influences into the visual storytelling. This vision was realized in part by Tony Award-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell and Tlingit artist Preston Singletary, whose designs seamlessly merged traditional Northwest Coastal Indigenous aesthetics with classical ballet.
“It was gorgeous, the costumes by Paul Tazewell and accessories by Preston Singletary, also the tribal and Indigenous inspiration behind it all,” said Jonathan Batista, who performed as Prince Désiré. “I think that it was certainly beautiful to me. It marked my first, mine and Angelica Generosa’s, who played Princess Aurora, our first opening night of a full-length ballet for these past four years that we’ve been dancing together, paired up in our partnership.”
The cultural influences embedded in the production made it all the more powerful for the performers and audience alike.
“I think it became even more special because we brought all the elements of diversity to our company,” Batista continued. “And I think we have this Black and brown couple bringing the Native heritage to this ballet. It was just absolutely incredible.”
He and Generosa felt the weight of what this moment represented.
“Angelica and I were certainly very emotional about that,” Batista said. “I had that realization and had this discussion with Angelica about how special and important this is to the times that we are living in today.”
Reflecting on the significance of representation in ballet, Batista expressed his pride in being part of a company that embraces inclusivity and cultural authenticity.
“We are reflecting our society in its totality,” Batista said. “We really reflected what it means to be in the Pacific Northwest and in Seattle. And I’m very proud of the company for being so diverse.”
According to press release from PNB, this production of The Sleeping Beauty has been “imbued with cultural and aesthetic elements of Indigenous Northwest Coastal cultures to offer the same sense of timelessness” as its classical predecessor.
A Seattle native, Preston Singletary is a Tlingit tribal member of the Kaagwaantaan Clan from Ko’ok Hit of Sitka, Alaska. While best known for his work in glass art, Singletary stepped outside his usual medium to lend his cultural expertise to PNB’s set design, bringing new depth and meaning to the production.
PNB’s reimagined Sleeping Beauty is more than a ballet—it is a celebration of history, artistry, and community. By blending the grandeur of classical ballet with Pacific Northwest influences, it pays tribute to the past while boldly embracing the future of ballet.
Sleeping Beauty is playing at PNB through February 9, 2025.
