Colorado Ballet Academy Presents The Sleeping Beauty on May 30, 2026, at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House
Performance Features Students Enrolled in
Level 1 through the Pre-Professional Division
Denver, CO (April 20, 2026) – The Colorado Ballet Academy will present two performances of the full-length ballet The Sleeping Beauty at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House on May 30, 2026. All dancers enrolled in Levels 1 through the PreProfessional Division will take the stage in this grand production, making it a milestone event for our entire Academy community.
This timeless ballet tells the enchanting story of Princess Aurora, a radiant young royal who is cursed by a wicked fairy on her sixteenth birthday. Doomed to slumber for 100 years, Aurora and her kingdom fall into silence and stillness—until the arrival of Prince Desiré. Guided by the luminous Lilac Fairy, he journeys through adversity to find Aurora and awaken her with true love’s kiss.
The iconic roles of Princess Aurora, Prince Desiré, Carabosse and Lilac Fairy will be danced by students in the Academy’s Pre-Professional Division.
“Performing The Sleeping Beauty on Denver’s premier stage at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House gives our dancers the rare opportunity to experience a full-length classical ballet with professional staging, lighting, and costumes,” said Academy Director Erica Fischbach. “These productions were created to give children a deeper, more meaningful experience—each dancer has a purpose in telling the story, and through that process they build technical skill, musical timing, spatial awareness, and true artistry. Being part of a ballet like this teaches them how to communicate with an audience and work together as a unified group, making it a transformative step in their artistic development and a powerful experience for everyone involved.”
“Productions like The Sleeping Beauty demonstrate how Colorado Ballet Academy shapes students into well-rounded, dynamic dancers,” said Colorado Ballet Artistic Director Gil Boggs. “Our training empowers students to freely and creatively express themselves while thoughtfully cultivating strong technique and musicality. Seeing them bring these elements together on stage reflects the depth of their growth.”
About The Sleeping Beauty
The royal court of King Florestan and his Queen celebrate the birth of Princess Aurora. Ceremony master Catalabutte greets the magical woodland fairies when suddenly, the skies darken and evil Carabosse furiously arrives, cursing the Princess to be poisoned by the prick of her finger on her 16th birthday.
Aurora is dancing joyously at her 16th birthday celebration when she suddenly pricks her finger on a poisoned spindle! Evil Carabosse has secretly returned to fulfill the curse. Without fear, the Lilac Fairy casts a spell that causes Aurora and her court to fall into a deep sleep, only to be broken by a true love’s kiss.
A century later, Prince Florimund meets the Lilac Fairy, who speaks to him about the beautiful sleeping Princess awaiting the kiss of her one true love. The Prince follows the Lilac Fairy to the palace to find Princess Aurora and her court asleep. He kisses Aurora and the enchanted Kingdom awakens!
Fairies, royalty and enchanted beings travel to the Kingdom to celebrate the marriage of Prince Florimund and Princess Aurora. The newly wedded couple affirm their happily ever after in a Grand pas de deux.
Performance Information
Tickets for Colorado Ballet Academy's Sleeping Beauty are now available online at coloradoballet.org, ranging from $20 to $70.
You can also purchase tickets by contacting Colorado Ballet’s Patron Services team via email tickets@coloradoballet.org, or over the phone at (303) 339-1637, from Monday–Friday from 10am-4pm. Visit our website at coloradoballet.org and follow us on social media to remain up-to-date on all Colorado Ballet’s latest announcements, events, media, and more.
To continue to reduce the number of ticket resellers, please purchase directly through Colorado Ballet via the website or phone number listed above. Tickets purchased through resellers may not be valid.
Colorado Ballet will present The Sleeping Beauty at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House
(1385 Curtis Street, Denver, CO 80204).
Saturday, May 30, 2026, 1 p.m.
Saturday, May 30, 2026, 6 p.m.
About Colorado Ballet Academy
Founded in 1951 by Lillian Covillo and Freidann Parker, Colorado Ballet Academy (CBA) is the official school of Colorado Ballet. Under the leadership of Colorado Ballet Artistic Director Gil Boggs and Academy Director Erica Fischbach, the Raydean Acevedo Colorado Ballet Academy (CBA) is the region’s premier source for ballet training and currently serves over 1,200 students from toddlers to seniors each year. CBA’s unique relationship with the professional company and artistic staff of Colorado Ballet provides superior faculty who are dedicated to developing and inspiring each child to reach their full potential. Aspiring pre-professional students along with those who simply enjoy dance and wish to gain the benefits of studying this classical art form receive the highest caliber ballet instruction in an environment that fosters excellence, individuality, and creativity. CBA’s curriculum is grounded in formal classical ballet technique and follows the traditional classical sequence of training intended to increase each student’s technical skill, stamina, and artistry. Elements of the Russian, French and Italian schools are taught according to age and physical development, resulting in finished dancers with clean and virtuosic technique, brilliant artistry, stylistic versatility, and the prowess to thrive in the diverse choreographic demands of today. Colorado Ballet Academy also offers focused training for male dancers starting at age 6, with specialized technique and conditioning designed to support the physicality and athleticism necessary to succeed in the professional field of ballet.
Presenting exceptional classical ballet and innovative contemporary dance through performances, training, education and community engagement, Colorado Ballet continues to inspire and grow an increasingly diverse audience base in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1961 by Lillian Covillo and Freidann Parker, Colorado Ballet is a non-profit organization celebrating 65 years of excellence. As a world-class professional company serving more than 100,000 national and international patrons, Colorado Ballet presents 58 performances annually to sold-out audiences in the 2,000-seat Ellie Caulkins Opera House. The Company’s 40 professional dancers and 20 studio company dancers come from all over the world. Colorado Ballet’s The Armstrong Center for Dance, a 35,000-square-foot building, boasts eight state-of-the-art professional dance studios and amenities for the professional Company.
Under the direction of Artistic Director Gil Boggs, Colorado Ballet performs classical ballet masterpieces, full-length story ballets and its critically acclaimed repertory production MasterWorks, featuring varied works from neoclassical ballets to world premieres. The Raydean Acevedo Colorado Ballet Academy serves more than 1,200 students from toddlers to seniors each year. Colorado Ballet’s Education & Community Engagement offers programs to students and community members, making more than 40,000 contacts and reaching over 200 schools and organizations annually. Participants come from a variety of backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses including youth, families, teachers, and people with and without disabilities. For more information, please visit coloradoballet.org.
