By Kai Curry
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Classic ballet “The Sleeping Beauty” is getting a refresh, Pacific Northwest-style.
The Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB)’s version of the tale—which sees Princess Aurora locked in sleep and awaiting rescue from her enchanted slumber behind a wall of thorny vines—“The Sleeping Beauty” is updated for a modern, multicultural audience, and relocates the setting to the Pacific Northwest, with Northwest Coastal Indigenous cultural visibility prominent in its roles, set design, and costuming.
PNB said “The Sleeping Beauty” is the company’s largest production ever, and boasts a cast of 184 different roles.
It’s all about Aurora
Even more than before, the ballet will rely heavily on the lead. PNB principal dancer, Filipina American Angelica Generosa, is one of the artists who will dance the part of Aurora throughout the production’s run.
Generosa has known the story of “The Sleeping Beauty” since she was a child, and has danced in the ballet before. She said that she grew up alongside Aurora. In the traditional version of the ballet, the character is introduced at the age of 16. In PNB’s version, she is 20, and on the verge of marriage.
“It’s one of the hardest, if not the hardest, ballerina roles I’ve ever encountered,” Generosa told the Northwest Asian Weekly. “It’s very technically demanding, [and] all eyes are on you.”
Generosa, who got married herself two years ago, finds the role even more relatable now—as was PNB’s intention. PNB purposefully gave Aurora more autonomy, more agency. The central occasion is still her birthday, but now she is greeting suitors, with full understanding from her father, King Papillon (“butterfly”), that she will choose her own life partner.
“This version is slightly more mature,” observed Generosa. “She’s about to leave the kingdom, with more of an adult knowing of her destiny…all you see is her dancing the whole time.”
A new look
In PNB’s story of Aurora, the princess dances in what could be our own Pacific Northwest woods.
Set and costume have been re-envisioned by renowned artists Preston Singletary, of the Kaagwaantaan Clan, and Paul Tazewell.
Singletary, a glass artist, impressed his vision of Indigenous Northwest Coastal cultures upon the stage design. Roles in the story have been synchronized to reflect these cultures, such as that of Carabosse, who is traditionally thought of as the “wicked witch.” But PNB prefers that, rather than “wicked,” Carabosse has instead succumbed to anger in a moment when she felt slighted, as any human might do. In this version, Carabosse has been likened to Tlingit cultural hero, Yeíl or “Raven,” the Trickster.
Tazewell—the costume artist who received accolades for his costuming in the just-released movie, “Wicked”—has worked Pacific Northwestern Indigenous culture into the bright and bold costumes for “The Sleeping Beauty.”
Altogether, PNB says it has built 268 costumes. (Some costumes are the same design in different sizes, in order to accommodate different performers who will dance the parts throughout the performance’s run.)
Black velvet applique trim, in a striking pattern against a golden yellow, have been placed on the costumes of King and Queen Papillon in another nod to Northwest Coastal art. Butterflies can be found again in the outfits of the lilac fairy attendants’ garb. Each of the attendants’ costumes is composed of 16 gauzy layers of sheer fabric, resembling butterfly wings.
“It’s been a really collaborative experience this time around,” Generosa said of the production. She said that she has found the role of Aurora to be “empowering.”
“You carry the whole thing (production),” much more than prior versions, she added.
Other Asian American dancers will include Christopher D’Ariano as Prince Désiré and Leah Terada as Queen Papillon. Interested readers can check PNB’s schedule for when each person dances.
The story takes place entirely outside, with an eagle-adorned portal in the background. The Eagle, or Ch’áak’, is another element of Indigenous Northwest cultures, set up to balance the Raven.
Generosa is excited to dance the part of Aurora in this setting. She said she loves that Aurora also loves to dance, and hopes to project Aurora’s “confidence in knowing she’s the princess.”
Coming full circle
Generosa remembers repeatedly watching the “The Sleeping Beauty” ballet at home, starting from when she was about 9 years old. Then, she wondered to herself, “Could I do this someday?”
Now, having danced Aurora not once, but twice, and having shared Aurora’s journey into adulthood alongside her own, feels like a “dream come true.”
“I feel really grateful to witness something like this,” Generosa said, adding that she appreciates that this ballet has been modernized, while still keeping some traditional elements. “I feel honored to share that with people.”
PNB presents its new production of “The Sleeping Beauty,” also featuring sets by Preston Singletary and puppets by Basil Twist, Jan. 31 to Feb. 9, 2025.
For more information, visit PNB.org.
Kai can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.