Ballet San Antonio Sleeping Beauty Review

I’ve had a few contributors on the blog and I’ve loved each of them. Today though I have a very special contributor who I’ve loved my ENTIRE LIFE… My aunt, Shanda Hutchison. I also consider my aunt one of my best friends and I’ve always known about her passion for the arts. For a while now I’ve been wanting to find a way to support the arts in San Antonio and what better way to do that then to ask her to join as The sTORIbook’s new contributor! I hope you will take a moment to read her review of Sleeping Beauty by Ballet San Antonio as well as learn more about their upcoming Ballet in the Park!

Sparkly costumes and tutus, enchanted animals, a beautiful princess, a handsome hero, a good fairy, and an evil villain— sounds like a fairy tale or a little girl’s dream, right? Of course it does, but this fairy tale dream is for everyone of all ages—the Ballet San Antonio’s performance of Sleeping Beauty.

From the opening strains of Tchaikovsky’s lovely music to the final bow, the performance captured this grown girl’s
attention and imagination. I hadn’t ever seen Sleeping Beauty in the ballet—in fact I hadn’t been to the ballet in quite a long time—so I was excited and anticipating a great time. I wasn’t disappointed.

Still Life Photography by Alexander Devora

The artistic director, Willy Shives, has done a stunning job staging the story, setting the scene, and guiding the dancers. And the costumes were marvelous—how could a ballerina not feel special when she pirouettes in a beautiful tutu that sparkles in the lights. My favorite was Sleeping Beauty’s delicate pink creation that she wore during her birthday scene.

All the dancers performed beautifully, but I’ve got to especially acknowledge the princess, her prince, the Blue Bird, the Big Bad Wolf, and Puss in Boots. The young gentlemen who served as pages to the king and queen also deserve a mention because their job may have been the most difficult—being still, remaining quiet, and watching the performance.

Backing up the story were simple yet elegant sets that enhanced the story without taking any attention away from the dancers. The Ballet San Antonio is accessible to everyone—the audience for the Saturday matinée covered the spectrum of age as well as attire. So, there’s no need to fret about what to wear or whether or not to bring children; in fact I saw many families enjoying the performance—including dads and sons. I took the opportunity to dress up a little because I just wanted to, but I saw jeans and shorts so, no snobbery at the Ballet SA.

For those of you with young children and shorter attention spans there were two intermissions, so there was ample opportunity to get up and stretch our legs.

Still Life Photography by Alexander Devora

The Tobin Center is a wonderful facility with plenty of restrooms, ladies, including family facilities. Volunteers and employees who work the performances were all pleasant and helpful. There are several locations in the lobby for purchasing refreshments—including wine and, surprisingly, milkshakes.

The spring season is over now, but they are hosting Ballet in the Park TOMORROW which looks like lots of fun. And don’t forget The Nutcracker when the holidays come around in November and December. This is another story backed by a Tchaikovsky score that includes many recognizable pieces, appeals to children—of all ages—and is a holiday classic.

Coming out of the Ladies room I encountered a young lady in a pretty dress dancing along beside her mother. It made me smile and remember my own experience with ballet class and the brief period when this tomboy wanted to be a ballerina. All little girls should get to experience the professional ballet at least once. We are fortunate in San Antonio to have our own ballet company to transport us to that magical place where dreams seem real and the beautiful princess meets a handsome prince. When we support the arts locally, we help to ensure that our children get to experience the wonder and magic of watching graceful young men and women leap across a stage and spin on their toes.