'Sleeping Beauty' now an eye-opener in Beijing

A scene from Sleeping Beauty. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Sir Matthew Bourne's production of Sleeping Beauty is onstage in Beijing through Sept 4 at Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center, after performances in Shanghai.

"It's very exciting to be in Beijing for the first time," says actress Cordelia Braithwaite in Beijing, who plays the lead role of Princess Aurora. "We had a great time in Shanghai and we look forward to our audiences in Beijing."

Braithwaite started dancing at 7, and she was trained in Britain at the Leanne Hughes Theatre School, Leighton Buzzard and went on to additionally train at London Senior Ballet for three years. She watched Bourne's Swan Lake for the first time when she was 13.

"I was impressed by the production and I wanted to dance with the company. It's just so different," says Braithwaite, who joined Bourne's company, New Adventures, right after graduation.

Her first performance with Bourne was dancing the Italian and Spanish princesses in the 2013-14 Swan Lake tour.