The Ballet “Sleeping Beauty” in Burgas: An Enchanting Ballet Fairy Tale

For ballet enthusiasts, a new exciting encounter with the masterpiece “Sleeping Beauty” by the brilliant music of P. I. Tchaikovsky and the impressive direction of Prof. Hikmet Mehmedov is coming. The fairy-tale spectacle will bring an atmosphere of fabulous charm, style and class to the stage of the State Opera - Burgas on February 16 at 7:00 PM. Visitors will witness the stage performance of the famous fairy tale, told through the means of beautiful ballet art - in an incredible combination of music, grace, exquisite costumes and stunning scenery. 

Elegance, reverence for the classical original, high performance class, flowing beauty and the enchantment of the movements - in sync with the music and dramaturgy - the entire brilliant symbiosis will charge those present at the performance with a sense of contact with the highest quality art. The performers from the ballet troupe of the Burgas Opera with répétiteur Galina Kalcheva are expected to maximize their capacity and present themselves with brilliance, mood and confidence. 

The audience in the Opera hall on Monday will witness the stage performance of the magical fairy tale, told through the means of the incomparable in beauty ballet art - in an impressive combination of music, grace, exquisite costumes and stunning scenery. 

The audience will see the charming Ilina Konstantinova in the role of Aurora. She successfully debuted in the role in November 2025 on the Opera stage, in partnership with the premier-ballerina of the Sofia Opera and Ballet and the Burgas Opera - Emil Yordanov. The Burgas audience knows the beautiful young ballerina from her roles as Cinderella in the ballet of the same name to music by Sergei Prokofiev directed by Prof. Hikmet Mehmedov, Gyulnara - in "Corsair" directed by Galina Kalcheva, Little Red Riding Hood - in the ballet of the same name, the Fairy - in "Thumbelina" - both productions directed by Maria Tabakova, in the large-scale project “Ballet in the Opera”, as well as in other ballet performances of the Burgas cultural institute. On February 16, she once again enters the image of Princess Aurora - enchanted by the evil fairy Carabosse, she falls into a deep, long sleep, and Prince Desiré frees her from the curse. Ilina Konstantinova is the winner of the Burgas Municipality Award for the best-performing participant from Burgas in the International Ballet Competition “Sara-Nora Prima” 2025 and, together with her stage partner Patrick Gill, who did not participate in the competition program, performed brilliantly at the gala concert. Ilina Konstantinova is expected to present herself with the airiness characteristic of her role in building the image, ease in performing the complex technical elements and personal charisma.

In the role of the Prince, the Japanese ballet dancer, who has been in the Burgas Opera for the second year - Haru Nakagawa, makes his debut. He was in the comedic role of Secretary Said Pasha in the ballet “Corsair”, In 2024, the talented ballet dancer from Japan successfully debuted in the role of the Nutcracker, in partnership with Ilina Konstantinova - as Masha, on the stage in Razgrad, after which he also danced at the performances in Razgrad, Shumen and Burgas. 

The choreography of “Sleeping Beauty” is by Marius Petipa and Prof. Hikmet Mehmedov. The staging and directing work, by Professor Mehmedov, is impressive with its perfectionism in artistic terms and the creative flight of thought, transporting the audience to fabulous dimensions, where aesthetics and exquisite expressiveness reign - of movements, embodying ideal beauty. The sets, in line with the requirements of such a scale of the unfolding of the action, are by the set designer Ivan Tokadjiev, whose style is often defined as close to that of Salvador Dali. The costume designer is Tsvetanka Petkova-Stoynova, who receives the award of the "Association of Choreographers" for her creative work in “Sleeping Beauty”. The number of costumes in the production is over eighty. They are made entirely by hand, with the women's dresses sewn with thousands of "Swarovski" crystals, each one glued by hand to achieve the exquisite overall look of the fairy-tale stage costumes. The assistant directors of the production are Petar Tiholov and Lina Peeva. 

Répétiteur of the ballet troupe of the State Opera - Burgas - Galina Kalcheva, who was on stage at the premiere, held on May 4, 2017 - in the role of Fairy Lilac. On stage on Tuesday, the exquisite Frenchwoman Laya Ramon enters the role. 

Bright, colorful, with aristocratic brilliance are all the images that will create the magic on the stage of the Burgas Opera on Tuesday evening. As Carabosse, the fairy who, through a spell, condemns Princess Aurora to a memoryless sleep, Yana Berduta comes on stage. Impressive, in terms of technical performance, artistry and synchronicity, will be the couple Julia Letzi and Daniel Tichkov - in the "Blue Bird" tandem. Temperamental and bright will be Rafaela-Maria Kyul - as Little Red Riding Hood, and Kiril Filipov - The Wolf. Raya Chakarova and Teodor Tsakov will present themselves with charm and style in the etude "Puss in Boots". 

Beautiful, ethereal, with a real fairy-tale emanation will be in the images of the other magical creatures: Fairy Tenderness - Julia Letzi, Fairy Fertility - Polina Pasha, Fairy Generosity - Gergana Kozarova, Fairy Carelessness - Rafaela-Maria Kyul, Fairy Courage - Raya Chakarova. 

The male presence in the ballet “Sleeping Beauty”, filled with fairy tales, is no less colorful. Dignified and radiating aristocracy will be the Cavaliers: Teodor Tsakov, Daniel Tichkov, Patrick Gill, Kiril Filipov.

Royal and respectable, respectively - in the role of gentle loving parents, will be Maria Gabarova - Queen, and Nayden Naydenov - King Florestan. Stoyan Fartunov will also be memorable in the characteristic comedic role of the courtier Catalabutte.

In the stage spectacle, told through the means of ballet art, the overall brilliance of the stage on February 16 is complemented by artists from the corps de ballet of the Burgas Opera. In the suite of Fairy Lilac will be: Andrea Sotirova, Kalina Nedelcheva, Bianca-Helen Giovanelli, Gergana Georgieva, Ivana Fialkovska, Anna Paselo. As Little Maids will be presented: Kalina Nedelcheva, Rafaela-Maria Kyul, Andrea Sotirova and Anna Paselo, As Big Maids on stage are: Raya Chakarova, Gergana Georgieva, Bianca-Helen Giovanelli and Polina Pasha. Magical Nereids will be: Gergana Georgieva, Bianca-Helen Giovanelli, Polina Pasha, Gergana Kozarova, Andrea Sotirova, Kalina Nedelcheva, Raya Chakarova, Anna Paselo. In the exquisite Mazurka will dance: Bianca-Helen Giovanelli, Andrea Sotirova, Gergana Kozarova, Gergana Georgieva, Shun Kawafune and Patrick Gill.

Pupils from the ballet classes of NUMSI "Prof. Pancho Vladigerov" - Burgas will take part in the performance. 

“Sleeping Beauty” is a large-scale ballet project, impressive with the creative scope of the directorial decisions of Prof. Hikmet Mehmedov and its complete aesthetic appearance. The performance introduces the world of an enchanted princess, noble fairies, a wicked fate with a heavy curse, a handsome prince with a kind and brave heart, magic, a fairy tale of colors, movements, emotions and beautiful details, sculpting a real fairy-tale reality. The ballet is based on the plot of one of Charles Perrault's most popular fairy tales, the brilliant music, which has also gained popularity as a standalone sound of individual parts of the work, is by P. I. Tchaikovsky. “Sleeping Beauty” is Tchaikovsky's longest ballet - its duration in the original is about four hours. In the interpretation of Prof. Hikmet Mehmedov, the final quadrille has been preserved, in which the characters from Perrault's fairy tales dance - Puss in Boots, the Blue Bird, Little Red Riding Hood and others.

On February 17, at 7:00 PM, the production of “Sleeping Beauty” is visiting the stage of the Stefan Kirov Drama Theatre - Sliven.