#TBT: Sofiane Sylve in Sleeping Beauty’s Vision Scene

Remember in the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty when Aurora’s fairy godmothers fight over which dress is best, pink or blue? Watching Petipa’s ballet, you might face a similar conflict: Do you prefer the young, spirited Aurora decked in rose pink from Act I? Or the cool yet lovely dream princess from Act II? In this clip from a 2003 Dutch National Ballet performance, San Francisco Ballet principal Sofiane Sylve embodies the silver radiance of her lunar setting. Her ice-blue tutu barely flares as she sails effortlessly in each attitude turn. Her grace and control are so refined that, if Sylve really were dancing in a mist-filled dream, she wouldn’t disturb a single vapor.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=pfbO_twDD1Q%2520

Before joining SFB in 2008, Sylve danced at Dutch National Ballet and later New York City Ballet. In a 2012 Dance Magazine interview with former NYCB star Allegra Kent, Sylve said that she fell in love with ballet for its “relationship with the music.” I’d say that she does that sacred relationship justice. Happy #ThrowbackThursday!

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