The Sleeping Princess
Photograph
1921 (photographed)
1921 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Sleeping Princess (Sleeping Beauty) was based on the 1890 ballet for the Imperial Russian Ballet by Marius Petipa to music by Piotr Tchaikovsky. It was mounted for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in London by Nicholas Sergeyev (former regisseur of the Imperial Ballet) with additional choreography by Bronislava Nijinska. Premiered on 2 November 1921 at the Alhambra Theatre, it ran until 4 February 1922.
Although its lavish production made the company bankrupt, The Sleeping Princess had enormous artistic influence, leading to the emphasis on the classics in British ballet. For the openly prejudiced Cyril Beaumont, Lopokova danced ‘with extraordinary technique and piquant vivacity; she is the keystone of the whole ballet.’ It remains the third longest running full programme ballet in the history of British theatre. The Lilac Fairy was one of three major roles Lopokova danced in The Sleeping Princess. She also appeared as Aurora and as the Enchanted Princess (Princess Florine of the Bluebird pas de deux).
This publicity photograph was reproduced quite widely in periodicals such as the Sphere, 26 November 1921.
Although its lavish production made the company bankrupt, The Sleeping Princess had enormous artistic influence, leading to the emphasis on the classics in British ballet. For the openly prejudiced Cyril Beaumont, Lopokova danced ‘with extraordinary technique and piquant vivacity; she is the keystone of the whole ballet.’ It remains the third longest running full programme ballet in the history of British theatre. The Lilac Fairy was one of three major roles Lopokova danced in The Sleeping Princess. She also appeared as Aurora and as the Enchanted Princess (Princess Florine of the Bluebird pas de deux).
This publicity photograph was reproduced quite widely in periodicals such as the Sphere, 26 November 1921.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Sleeping Princess (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Photograph |
| Brief description | Photograph by the Stage Photo Company of Lydia Lopokova as the Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Princess, London, 1921 |
| Physical description | On-stage photograph of Lydia Lopokova in costume as the Lilac Fairy, posed against the set designed by Léon Bakst for the prologue (Act 1) of The Sleeping Princess at the Alhambra Theatre, London. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Cyril W. Beaumont bequest |
| Summary | The Sleeping Princess (Sleeping Beauty) was based on the 1890 ballet for the Imperial Russian Ballet by Marius Petipa to music by Piotr Tchaikovsky. It was mounted for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in London by Nicholas Sergeyev (former regisseur of the Imperial Ballet) with additional choreography by Bronislava Nijinska. Premiered on 2 November 1921 at the Alhambra Theatre, it ran until 4 February 1922. Although its lavish production made the company bankrupt, The Sleeping Princess had enormous artistic influence, leading to the emphasis on the classics in British ballet. For the openly prejudiced Cyril Beaumont, Lopokova danced ‘with extraordinary technique and piquant vivacity; she is the keystone of the whole ballet.’ It remains the third longest running full programme ballet in the history of British theatre. The Lilac Fairy was one of three major roles Lopokova danced in The Sleeping Princess. She also appeared as Aurora and as the Enchanted Princess (Princess Florine of the Bluebird pas de deux). This publicity photograph was reproduced quite widely in periodicals such as the Sphere, 26 November 1921. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.18-2021 |
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| Record created | January 12, 2021 |
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