sleeping beauty jewel faries

[CamilleLopez]

So I’m doing a project for my dance where we are assigned a character from a ballet, and I got the ruby jewel from sleeping beauty. However, I have not been able to find a ruby jewel/ fairy in the ballets that I’ve watched. Also if anyone can explain to me what the purpose of the jewel faries are and what part they play in the ballet, that would be so so helpful!

[rg]

There is no Ruby traditionally in The Sleeping Beauty; there is one Peter Martins' staging for NYCB, he changed the names of the pas de quatre of precious stones and metal - originally Gold, Silver, Sapphire and Diamond. NYCB's staging of this quartet uses the names of Gold, Emerald, Ruby and Diamond in a sly reference to the gemstones in Balanchine's 1967 ballet JEWELS. I can't recall which musical variation NYCB's Ruby role uses - maybe Silver? Someone else on this board might know.

[annaewgn]

NYCB uses Diamond, Emerald, Ruby (paying tribute to Balanchine's Jewels), and the male variation is Gold. Paris Opera Ballet does a similar Precious Stones, except it's Diamond, Gold, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald. Most every other version does just Diamond, Gold, Silver, Sapphire, with the Pas de Trois being Gold, Silver, and Sapphire, and Diamond having her own variation. I'm not positive what variation Ruby does... I would assume Silver? 

As for their purpose, I've always heard that they were wedding gifts for Aurora and Desiré. 

I've linked Paris Opera's version (w/Ruby) and Mariinsky's version (no Ruby) below. The Mariinsky version also includes the Lilac Fairy's Act III variation, so if you wish to just see the Jewels, skip to 1:19. 

 

 

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by annaewgn