The crown jewel in its season of fairytale ballets, Queensland Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty presents a magical take on the well-worn classic, while respecting tradition.

The story of the beautiful princess who sleeps for a hundred years, only able to be woken by true love’s kiss, is one that many have grown up with. Princess Aurora pricks her finger on a rose at her 16th birthday, and the entire kingdom falls into a magical slumber. The spell is lifted a century later by the brave Prince Désiré, who defeats the wicked fairy Carabosse and kisses the sleeping Aurora to break the spell. The Sleeping Beauty is one of the most beloved classical ballets, first performed by the Imperial Theatres in St. Petersburg in 1890.

Choreographer Greg Horsman’s connection to the ballet began at the age of twelve, when he watched Rudolf Nureyev himself dance the role of the Prince in London. Dancing in four different versions of the ballet in his own career, Horsman always felt that classical repertoire was his forte. “It is handed down to all of us through generations – the steps, the choreography the way that it is taught to us—and I feel that shouldn’t be lost for...