Review: Introducing children to ballet with My First Ballet: Sleeping Beauty

On Saturday we arrived at The Peacock Theatre in London at 10am in the morning for a review, ready to get the weekend off to a cultural start with some classical ballet and Tchaikovsky music. In most situations, this would perhaps not have been ideal as an outing with a six-year-old, but the collaboration between English National Ballet and English National Ballet School on the My First Ballet productions means even much younger children can enjoy a mesmerising ballet production.

This spring and summer, English National Ballet and English National Ballet School present a new version of the fairy-tale ballet Sleeping Beauty as part of its My First Ballet series created especially for children from 3 years and over. The production has been adapted to an hour in length and the addition of a narrator helps children follow the story.

On Saturday, the expressive and lively narrator connected with the audience, grabbing our attention with questions like: “How are we all feeling?” which were met with loud responses from the audience. At times, he also included a magic trick that captivated the audience and kept young theatre-goers entertained throughout.

In the first act of this new version of Sleeping Beauty, we were introduced to Carabosse and the Lilac Fairy before the christening of baby Aurora. When Carabosse has been kept off the guest list for the christening, she turns up in the middle of the event and shocks guests by cursing the baby to die from pricking her finger. The Lilac Fairy alters the spell, saying Aurora will fall asleep instead and can be woken from the power of a hug – not a kiss in this family-friendly version.

In the next act, which is also before the interval, Aurora (played by Evelina Andersson) has grown up and falls asleep after pricking her finger on a rose. The Lilac Fairy ensures everyone goes to sleep while she sets out to find Aurora’s true love who can wake her up again. The third act after the interval sees the Lilac Fairy meeting a range of characters in the woods, including Little Red Riding Hood and Puss in Boots, and the characters get to showcase their dancing talents. The highlight for me was still the wedding and particularly the celebratory dance by Aurora and Prince Désiré (played by Eric Snyder), who had woken her up with a hug after being taken to Aurora by the Lilac Fairy.

For children, I think the addition of a narrator and shorter running time makes a huge difference. In my view, My First Ballet offers families an opportunity to introduce children to ballet at an earlier age than they might otherwise have done. Although the production is recommended for children aged 3 and over, I think the ballet, stunning costumes and set in this beautiful production makes it a wonderful show for the whole family, and I would equally recommend it to families with older children.

In fact, although some adults may feel the addition of a narrator could distract at times, I think others will see the narrator as an opportunity to learn more about how a story is told through dance and movement. To me, My First Ballet stands out for making classical ballet accessible to a wider audience.

My First Ballet: Sleeping Beauty is currently on a UK tour, with one of the stops being Richmond Theatre 18 to 19 May.

Photos by ASH

Tags: Ballet, Children's theatre, My First Ballet, Peacock Theatre, Review, Richmond Theatre, What's on stage