Exciting news!
From July 31 - August 20, Dance Australia readers will have a rare opportunity to see a live recording of The Fairy’s Kiss (La Baiser de la Fée) by legendary British choreographer Sir Kenneth MacMillan, performed by Scottish Ballet. The performance was captured live in Edinburgh in October 2017.
Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale The Ice Maiden, The Fairy's Kiss tells the story of a boy cursed with a kiss, destined for immortality.
The Fairy’s Kiss was originally created in 1960 and has had only one revival since. The original set design for the Royal Opera House's production was so complex that there were very few other ballets with which The Fairy's Kiss could be performed.
While MacMillan rarely created fairytale ballets, it was the richness and complexity of Stravinsky's score that lured him in. The full Scottish Ballet Orchestra came together to lift this score off the pages.
Scottish Ballet brought new life to the production to mark the 25th anniversary of the death of its choreographer, Sir Kenneth MacMillan. It amassed five star reviews during its recent national tour, and was the only revival production presented as part of the National MacMillan Celebration at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, October 2017.
This rare video footage of MacMillan's The Fairy's Kiss by Scottish Ballet will be available for streaming from Dance Australia’s Facebook page, from 7pm, July 31 to August 20.
Pictured top: Bethany Kingsley-Garner and Andrew Peasgood of Scottish Ballet in Kenneth MacMillan's The Fairy's Kiss. Photo by Andy Ross.
You can also take a peek behind the scenes of the production here: