Eugene Ballet Company presents The Sleeping Beauty

Jennifer Martin and Yoshie Oshima in The Sleeping Beauty
Jennifer Martin and Yoshie Oshima in The Sleeping Beauty

Eugene Ballet Company presents the timeless tale of The Sleeping Beauty, considered one of the greatest ballets of all time. The story of Princess Aurora is one made famous both by the Brothers Grimm’s “Little Briar Rose” and, of course, Disney’s animated feature film. However, the story of true love’s kiss first came to be told through dance. Eugene Ballet Co. artistic director Toni Pimble describes the ballet as nearly identical to that of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s original 1890 production — his very first of “the three greats” (Swan Lake, The Nutcracker). “The intricate costuming, the beautiful music, it all translates very well in the ballet,” Pimble says. During Saturday evening’s show, Princess Aurora will be performed by Yoshie Oshima, with her Prince performed by Hirofumi Kitazume. Sunday’s matinee will feature Kaori Fukui performing the role of Aurora and Jun Tanabe as the Prince. “It’s a wonderful ballet for the family, and children especially love it,” Pimble says. “Everyone loves a good fairytale.”

The Eugene Ballet Company performs Sleeping Beauty at 7:30 pm Saturday, Oct. 24, and 2pm Sunday, Oct. 25, at the Hult Center. $49-$59