Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty: a beginner’s guide in pictures

1. The first beauty

The first performance of Tchaikovsky’s now iconic ballet took place in the Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg in 1890. The story of ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ is based on a fairy tale called ‘La Belle au bois dormant’ (The beauty sleeping in the woods) by Charles Perrault, published in 1697. But the story that inspired Perrault had actually been around since the 14th century.

2. Curtain up

The ballet begins with a party. King Florestan XXIV and his Queen are having a party to celebrate the christening of their daughter, Aurora. Pictured: The Bolshoi Ballet. Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images

3. Fairy magic

Six fairies have been invited to the party to bless the little princess. They represent beauty, courage, sweetness, musical talent and mischief. The final fairy is… Pictured: The Bolshoi Ballet. Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images

4. The Lilac Fairy

The Lilac Fairy. She's one of the most powerful of the fairies and one of the most important characters in the ballet. She’s about to give the baby her gift when… Pictured: Alexandra Ansanelli dancing with The Royal Ballet. John D Mchugh/AFP/Getty Images

5. Carabosse arrives!

The evil fairy Carabosse makes her appearance to some of the ballet’s most exciting music. She’s furious because she wasn’t invited to the party. In her rage, Carabosse puts a curse on the baby, declaring that on her 16th birthday she will prick her finger on a spindle and die. Pictured: ballet dancer Nolwenn Daniel. Jacques Demarthon/AFP/Getty Images

6. Not death, but sleep

The Lilac Fairy hasn’t yet given the little girl her gift, so she uses her power to alter Carabosse’s curse so that Aurora will not die on her 16th birthday but rather fall asleep for 100 years. At the end of that time she will be woken by a kiss from a handsome prince. Pictured: Nolween Daniel as Carabosse with the Paris Opera Ballet. Jacques Demarthon/AFP/Getty Images

7. 16 years later…

We skip forward 16 years to Aurora’s 16th birthday and there’s a party underway. Things are briefly interrupted with the discovery that some of the ladies are knitting – all needles are banned in the kingdom because of Aurora’s curse. Pictured: The Bolshoi Ballet. Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images

8. Flower garlands

One of the most iconic moments in the ballet comes in this Act, as the townsfolk perform a waltz with flower garlands for the party guests. Pictured: The Bolshoi Ballet. Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images

9. Rose Adage

The Rose Adage is perhaps the most famous moment in the ballet, and is one of the best-known moments in all ballet. During this notoriously difficult dance Princess Aurora meets four suitors who dance with her and support her fiendishly difficult balances. Pictured: Svetlana Zakharova as Princess Aurora with The Bolshoi Ballet. Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images

10. A stranger appears…

…and she’s carrying a spindle – something that fascinates the Princess Aurora because she’s never seen anything like it. As dictated by the curse, she pricks her finger and falls over in a dead faint. The stranger reveals herself to be Carabosse and, thinking Aurora is dead, rejoices. Pictured: Nolwenn Daniel as Carabosse. Jacques Demarthon/AFP/Getty Images

11. To bed

The Princesss is carried to bed and the Lilac Fairy casts a spell over the whole kingdom, so everyone falls asleep. Pictured: The Bolshoi Ballet. Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images

12. One hundred years later…

By happy chance, a handsome prince – known in some versions of the ballet as Prince Désiré and in others as Prince Florimund – is hunting in the forest when he wanders away from his friends and meets the Lilac Fairy. Pictured: David Hallberg as the Prince. Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images

13. An enchanted forest

The Lilac Fairy shows the Prince a vision of the sleeping Aurora, and he falls in love. She leads him by boat to the enchanted castle. Pictured: David Hallberg and Maria Alash as the Lilac Fairy. Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images

14. True love’s kiss

You know what happens next – the Prince awakens the Princess with a kiss and the rest of the court also wakes up. Pictured: Svetlana Zakharova as Aurora and David Hallberg as the Prince. Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images

15. A proposal

The Prince asks for Princess Aurora’s hand in marriage. Pictured: Carlos Acosta as the Prince and Tamara Rojo as Princess Aurora for The Royal Ballet. John D McHugh/AFP/Getty Images

16. A royal wedding

The whole final Act of the ballet is given over to (another) royal party – this time to celebrate the Prince and Princess’s wedding. A whole cast of fairy tale characters appear including Puss in Boots, the Blue Bird, Little Red Riding Hood and even the Big Bad Wolf. Pictured: Josua Hoffalt as the Prince and Ludmila Pagliero as Princess Aurora. Jacques Demarthon/AFP/Getty Images

17. A royal wedding

Although we now know the ballet was a masterpiece in the making, Tchaikovsky was actually an inexperienced ballet composer, having only written ‘Swan Lake’ before 'The Sleeping Beauty'. Pictured: Rischgitz/Getty Images