As it is Valentines Day I wanted to do something special, something that would bring enjoyment to the reader, something beautiful that feeds the soul. I considered telling a great romance from history but they always ended in tears and were rarely beautiful. Ballet on the other hand is always beautiful, especially when it ends in tears. I have searched through dozens of ballets and selected the ones that I thought the most enchanting, from the sets to the remarkable skill of the dancers, the beauty of these Royal ballets is my Valentines gift to you. Oh dear...three ballets with tragic endings for Valentines Day, I am a strange gift giver. Never the less I hope you enjoy them and see the same beauty that I do.
Giselle
Giselle is the classic ballet of the Romantic era. It transformed the dance world when it was first performed in Paris in 1841 and remains at the centre of the classical repertory. Below is the performance by the Royal Danish Ballet in 2016, staring Ida Praetorius as Giselle and Andreas Kaas as Albrecht, Duke of Silesia.
Sleeping Beauty
This Royal Ballet performance of The Sleeping Beauty pays homage to Oliver Messel's original 1940s design, the set is full of lush detail, the pillars of the palace gardens are ringed with decorative bands, mature trees shade the stone courtyard, and in the costumes the courtiers’ livery glows with floral colours, iris blue, rudbeckia yellow and rose apricot truly capturing Messel's vision. Staring Lauren Cuthbertson as Princess Aurora and Sergei Polunin as Prince Florimund.
Romeo and Juliet
A story that needs no introduction, Romeo and Juliet performed by the The Royal Danish Ballet in 2016, staring the same charismatic dancers as Giselle, Ida Praetorius and Andreas Kaas.