Sleeping Beauty – The Last Daughter of the Czar
Ballet by Youri Vámos
Music by Peter Iljitsch Tschaikowsky (1840-1893)
Choreographical assistance: Joyce Cuoco
Stage and costumes: Michael Scott
Lightdesign: Klaus Gärditz
Duration: 2 hours
World premiere 1992 Theater Basel
Anastasia was born on June 18th, 1901 at Peterhof as the youngest of the Czar's four daughters. During the Russian Revolution she was presumably murdered to-gether with her family at Jekaterinburg in July 1918. 19 months later, it was reported that a woman in Berlin named Anna Anderson had been the only person to survive the execution of the Czar family. She claimed to be Anastasia, the last daughter of the Czar...
In their version of «Sleeping Beauty” Youri Vámos and Michael Scott tell the story of the life and downfall of the Czar family. They tie up the ballet scenes at court with the appearance of Anna Anderson who spent her lifetime imagining that she was the Czar's last daughter.
In the memory of Anna Anderson-Anastasia the scenes at court become visions of a magnificent and innocent childhood as well as a reminiscence of classical Russian ballet.
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Press reviews
The millenium of dance ends in the Deutsche Oper am Rhein with an unprecedented treat for the ears and eyes.
Welt am Sonntag
The most intensive scene is that of the moving Pas de deux which the straying pseudo-Anastasia dances on the dark stage with the black Anonymous – who is Death. In the final act, Marina Antonova and Jörg Simon impersonate in their Grand Pas de deux the changed dream-couple impressingly and on a high technical level.
Rheinische Post
While many choreographers merely demonstrate their reverence for Petipa/Tchaikovsky, Vámos pursues a very promising approach... First he stages in a fascinating way the changes between the refugee reality of the Czar family, the execution squad, and the memories of the young woman, making use of the cineastic means of fading - in and - cross. In her father's arms Anastasia dreams of the past which appears at once in all its splendour.
Westdeutsche Zeitung
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