When it comes to Tchaikovsky’s trio of ballets, Sir Peter Wright has cornered the market at Birmingham Royal Ballet. The company has had his Swan Lake in the repertoire for decades, while every year his vintage staging of The Nutcracker pops up as a Christmas treat. And now BRB is celebrating the 40th anniversary of his fine and wonderfully traditional The Sleeping Beauty.
Wright based this 1984 production on Petipa’s 1890 St Petersburg original, a stunning fairytale showcase with challenging choreography for every dancer in the large cast. Indeed, the Sadler’s Wells stage is packed with dancing from beginning to end and where Wright puts his own spin on Petipa he keeps the classicism pure and unfettered by mannerisms, something the 97-year-old must have
