The Sleeping Beauty: The Making of a Ballet

Choreographer: Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa (1818-1910)

Interlochen Center for the Arts' production is an original and newly revised choreography after Marius Petipa. He earned the title "father of classical ballet." He is most famous for his choreography, creating more than sixty ballets as well as many dances for operas. His legacy continues to endure. 
Marius Petipa was born in Marseilles, France, on March 11, 1818. His parents both earned a living in the performing arts. When Petipa was seven, his father began teaching ballet to him and his older brother Lucien, who would later become Premier Ballet Master at the Paris Opera Ballet. 

In 1847, Petipa was offered a one-year contract as a principal dancer at the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. Not only was he noted for his dancing, he soon became known for acting and pantomiming on stage during his performances. In 1862, he choreographed his first major solo work, The Pharaoh’s Daughter​. His success led him to become the Imperial Theatre’s chief choreographer, and within seven years, he was named the theatre's Premier Ballet Master, a position he held from 1871 until 1903. During this era of the golden age of Russian Ballet, he worked with the Imperial Theatre Director Ivan Vsevolzhsky, and they produced opulently lavish ballets. Petipa continued to work until his death at age 92.

Mime:

Mime is used a great deal so that the audience can get a clear idea of the story. The dancing expresses the emotions and feelings and the miming tells the story. Mime and dance create a constant variety in the action.

In ballet, there is a standard “mime” language that is used by everyone. Here’s how to act out some words in mime:
Beautiful/Handsome—circle your face/draw hand down face
Dance—circling hands overhead
Love—two hands on heart
Marry—point to your ring finger
Princess—hold your hands over the top of your head like a crown