Last summer I was in a performance of Sleeping Beauty(Cyprus). Some guest dancers had the lead roles but I was picked in an audition along with other young girls to dance,too. I was a Carrabose's Attendant and we were from 10-14 years old. There were also(in the second act) cinderellas, the red riding hood, sarabande, all these roles were played by young girls. When Sleeping Beauty is performed by a company, who does these roles?

Hi!<BR>It's been awhile since I've seen Sleeping Beauty...but I think at NYCB the only role performed by a child is Little Red Riding Hood. There may be a few children as pages in some scenes, but the "divertissment" roles are all peformed by members of the company.<P>Kate

Annie - usually in a major conmpany those roles are taken by company members, often corps de ballet. Sometimes they also use children from their ballet school.<P>Sometimes when a company tours and they need children they take children from the local schools who audition for the roles. The Bolshoi Ballet has done this for a ballet called (if I remember correctly) "Ballet Class", where children showed the positions of the feet and arms and then the regular company dancers completed the barre and center work. Children were auditioned for the parts in each city in which the Bolshoi visited.<P>However, the last time I saw the Royal Danish Ballet they did a ballet in which there were children and they brought their own children from the school of the Royal Danish Ballet. <P>If a local company does a ballet needing children they will usually use children from the ballet school, and maybe audition others, too.

<BR>The Bolshoi ballet that used childern was called "Ballet School" They did it on 3 separate tours to the USA. I was in all three of the productions that came to SF. We were on point and did several combinations not just porte bras. The Kirov also used local children to dance as attendants with the summer fairy in Cinderella, the hours of the clock the ethiopian dance and the grasshoppers. We were on point for that also.

Very interesting Lucy - the tour I saw of that production was probably in the early 1970's I believe. I do remember the children being at a barre in the center of the stage - and I don't remember them as being on pointe at all. But I could be wrong. I remember the girls having very large white bows in their hair.<P>However, there was one teacher here in San Diego who claimed on her resumé forever after as having "danced with the Bolshoi" - when actually she was one of the smallest of the children. Factually correct - but if one didn't know the history one might assume she had been a real member of the company.

I think the last tour that they did with Ballet School was in the late 60's. While I was honored to dance with both the Kirov and Bolshoi, I never would have said I was a member. We did wear the royal blue uniform and braied hair with pink satin bows and headband. The first year Wayne Eagling was one of the small boys. The last year Cynthia Harvey was in our group. It was the first look we had at Russian Dancers up close. It was an amazing honor to be part of this.

Ah, an amazing children's cast that, Lucy. All -- Wayne Eagling, Cynthia Harvey and "Lucy" herself -- went on to much fame and success.

I didn't realize it was that long ago Lucy!! Was that also the tour when Maya Plisetskaya danced "Dying Swan" at every performance? <P>I remember that performance - very well, indeed. <P>I had kept all my old programs for many years, but eventually donated them to the SDSU library. So I don't have them to refer to.<P>I had inherited from my dance teacher her programs, also - amongst which were several Pavlova program from her performance at the Spreckles Theater, here in San Diego. My teacher, Eula Hoff, while not a member of Pavlova's company, was on stage dancing with them when they were here. So one of those Pavlova programs that I inherited was signed by the great ballerina. I also inherited several Mordkin programs. <P> I began to fear that they might be destroyed if there should be a fire, and it would be best to donate everything to a library - and so that is what I did. Hence, I can't check dates of performances I have seen.<P>If anyone has never seen a Pavlova program - they were very beautiful. Heavy, creamy paper, in an illustrated binder, with a satin marker ribbon, and tissue paper dividers.

I think that the first Bolshoi program that I have is from 1964. Ulanova was with them on the first one, as was Plisetskaya.

I am quite sure that year - 1964 - I did not see the Bolshoi - I was too busy having a baby and moving to San Diego - so it must have been later. I never got to see Ulanova - except on tape doing Romeo and Juliet - a tape which I have.

annie, did you perform with your school in cyprus? tell us about your school!