05

I finally finished watching The Sleeping Beauty ballet performance, thanks to YouTube and the Royal Opera House. It is part of a series, known as #OurHouseToYourHouse, given the current situation.

Even though my experience in the art form was rather short-lived, I can still appreciate everything that goes into putting on a real good show. If memory serves, the last time I went for a live ballet performance was when Don Quixote came to Malaysia, as part of the International Ballet Gala (many years ago).

It feels surreal that I’m able to catch a ballet show via a streaming site.

Gestures and facial expressions were spot-on, even if some may seem subtle.

One can only wonder how the team who made this possible did it with the backdrops and props. I was especially in awe over the forest (backdrop/scenery).

The show was so good I found myself clapping along with the audience.

I always like to pay attention to the orchestra – for their ability to synchronise and harmonise. Perhaps, we should give some thought to those performing in an orchestra.

The ballet performance is based on La Belle au bois dormant, written by the late French author Charles Perrault.

While the original 19^th century choreography was maintained, additional choreography was provided by the team working at the Royal Opera House. The music was the brainchild of the Russian composer Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky. Hey, the original version of the ballet has a running time of almost four hours, making it Tchaikovsky’s longest ballet.

Go on, watch it already, if you can.

After all, it’s only available until 7 August 2020.