The World Premiere of The Sleeping Beauty goes back to January 15th, 1890 at the Mariinksy Theater in St Petersburg, Russia. The 1990 San Francisco Ballet Premiere (Centennial Production) of The Sleeping Beauty was made possible by Lucy and Fritz Jewett and Mr. Kenneth Rainin.
The 1990 production returned to the War Memorial Opera House on Tuesday, Jan. 23, for two weeks after a decade of absence. 

The music, the set and the costumes were enchanting and exquisite. The costumes were a new addition  purchased by Helgi Tómasson from the Royal Danish Ballet, where he staged the production before.

Sasha De Sola did a superb job dancing the part of princess Aurora. Aside from a few off-balance moments  she nailed the most difficult elements. Her soft and tender movements made this performance artistically strong. 

Desiré danced by Carlo Di Lanno although technically strong  poised no passion. The chemistry between the dancers was there, but it lacked emotion from the prince.

Anita Paciotti as The Fairy of Darkness was ferocious.  Playfulness and technique of dancer Wanting Zhao as The White Cat was entertaining and delightful to watch. 

This show is not to be missed ,  get your tickets now. The Sleeping Beauty runs through February 4.   

Composer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson after Marius Petipa.

Photos courtesy San Francisco Ballet.