The Sleeping Beauty

The Sleeping Beauty, first staged at the Mariinsky in 1890, is the grandest of Tchaikovsky's three ballets and a showcase for the Rose Adagio, the Bluebird pas de deux and the radiant Act III wedding. Sofia City Ballet performs it in the grand 19th-century style, in a fairy-tale court inspired by the palace of Louis XIV.

The story is the one audiences know and love: at Princess Aurora's christening the spurned fairy Carabosse curses the infant to die on her sixteenth birthday; the Lilac Fairy softens the spell to a hundred-year sleep, broken at last by the true-love kiss of Prince Désiré. Expect sumptuous costumes, hand-painted scenery and a full company of dancers — billed as a gift for adults and children alike.

Founded in Bulgaria, Sofia City Ballet tours internationally under artistic director Yordan Krastev, who keeps faith with the original choreography. This is the company's first visit to Ireland.

The tour visits Derry, Wexford, Limerick, Cork, Belfast, Dublin, Castlebar, Waterford and Galway between 4 and 14 March 2027. Each performance runs about two hours including one interval. See the full list of dates, times and ticket links above, and book directly through each venue.