Festival Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker was an experience beyond my wildest imagination. The dancers performed with such grace and fluidity that I envisioned myself on stage and I was transported to a magical world of beauty and dance.  I made my husband promise to get tickets for any and all upcoming performances by Festival Ballet Theatre (FBT). When I heard that FBT would be celebrating spring with a full-length production of the beloved classical ballet, The Sleeping Beauty, my heart leapt with joy. I had to experience it! FBT’s heart-warming production of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece brings to life fabled storybook favorites Princess Aurora, Puss ‘n Boots, Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf…characters that remind us that good always triumphs over evil. This timeless love story will feature guest artists Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky, principal dancers with American Ballet Theatre, and FBT’s professional company dancers.  The only problem – it is being performed on my due date! While others are witnessing the ballet performance of a lifetime, I will be performing the miracle of childbirth.  Since I can’t make it to the production, I’d at least like to send one of my lucky readers with a guest. In cooperation with Festival Ballet Theatre, Bucket List Publications is offering two tickets to The Sleeping Beauty at the Irvine Barclay Theatre,  4242 Campus Drive in Irvine, California.

The Sleeping Beauty is the story of the a long-wished for beautiful princess who, at her christening, is bestowed with enchanting gifts by the magical beings of her father’s kingdom – the Fairies of Serenity; Benevolence; Generosity; Happiness; Temperament and, the embodiment of all that is good and kind, the Lilac Fairy. Furious at being overlooked, the Evil Fairy Carabosse places a curse on Princess Aurora as her “gift,” proclaiming that upon reaching her 16th birthday the Princess will prick her finger on a spindle and die. The Lilac Fairy, although unable to completely reverse the spell, vows that it will be only partly true. The Princess will prick her finger, but she will not die. Instead, she and the Court will fall into a deep, 100-year long sleep until a handsome Prince awakens her with a kiss. On her 16th birthday, the curse is fulfilled: the Princess pricks her finger, and falls into a long sleep.  Upon the passing of 100 years, Prince Florimund finds our sleeping heroine, breaking the 100 years of sleep when he kisses the Princess and declares his love for her. The King and Queen are overjoyed and call for a magnificent royal wedding. And, yes, everyone lives happily ever after.

If you’d like to win two free tickets to the ballet on Saturday, March 24th, 2012 at 7:30pm, please email me at info@bucketlistpublications.com with your first and last name, a few short words on why you should win the tickets, and your contact information (either your blog, email, twitter, or phone number). 

The winner will be notified on March 13th, 2012. 

Good luck and enjoy the theatrical performance of a lifetime.

Tickets can be purchased at FBT.