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Why Aurora...?


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Marian Smith writes about this moment in a recent online essay, New Life for Character and Story in Sleeping Beauty, describing the Ratmansky production:

"Finally, toward the end of the 'Rose Adagio'Ā and after Aurora has received a new set of roses from the admiring suitors, at the moment of a climactic fortissimo in the side drum and cymbals and a diminished chordā€”and immediately before she undertakes her last and most difficult set of balancesā€”Aurora joyfully inhales the perfume of the roses and then humbly places them on the floor before her parents. (By contrast, in some productions, without stopping to smell the roses, she flings them toward her parents; the emphasis is on the Princess and her spectacular choreography, excluding the filial respect and tenderness that Ratmansky has chosen to include.)"

http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935321.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199935321-e-172

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1 hour ago, doug said:

Marian Smith writes about this moment in a recent online essay, New Life for Character and Story in Sleeping Beauty, describing the Ratmansky production:

"Finallyļ»æļ»æļ»æļ»æ, toward the end of the 'Rose Adagio'Ā ļ»æand after Aurora has received a new set of roses from the admiring suitors, at the moment of a climactic fortissimo in the side drum and cymbals and a diminished chordā€”and immediately before she undertakes her last and most difficult set of balancesā€”Aurora joyfully inhales the perfume of the roses and then humbly places them on the floor before her parents. (By contrast, in some productions, without stopping to smell the roses, she flings them toward her parents; the emphasis is on theļ»æ Princess and her spectacular choreography, excluding the filial respect and tenderness that Ratmansky has chosen to include.)"ļ»æ

Thank you! :)

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I remember seeing Alina Cojocaru in the old ABT production. She embraced the flowers and put them in front of the parents, which makes sense in that this is her coming out party. Clearly the ballerina has to get rid of the flowers. It's up to the production/dancer/coach to have it make sense. In my experience Cojocaru makes sense out of everything.

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8 hours ago, cargill said:

In some productions she presents them to her mother, which is a much nicer touch!

The libretto of the original Petersbourg production states very clearly:
Ā 

Quote

(ā€¦) and Aurora appears. This is the first time she is beholding her people, who are filled with enthusiasm from just a glance at her beauty. Aurora confusedly pauses at the terrace, yet, upon noticing her happy parents, rushes towards themā€¦ Aurora notices four princes who request the honour of dancing with them;Ā as ifĀ still being a child, she requests the permission of her parents to do that, and she dances with them. She receives flowers from them and those flowers she offers to her parents for the pleasure they gave her by arranging such a brilliant celebration (on the occasion of her reaching adulthood).

Ā 

(in front of me I have the Russian text of the libretto published in 1899)

Edited by Laurent
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4 hours ago, Laurent said:

The libretto of the original Petersbourg production states very clearly:
Ā 

Ā 

(in front of me I have the Russian text of the libretto published in 1899)

Ah ... thank you for this quote from the 1899 libretto! Ā This makes total sense. Ā I wish all Auroras would read this libretto. Ā Some Auroras do approach the King and Queen, showing them the roses and thenĀ dropping them Ā gentlyĀ at their feet and that seems appropriate, but throwing them always seems so disrespectful! Ā 

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