In 1961, Rudolf Nureyev toured Paris with the Kirov, enthralling audiences as the Prince in The Sleeping Beauty. Thirty years later, he proposed a new choreography of what he considered to be “the ballet of ballets” for the Paris Opera Ballet. Retaining the spectacular enchantment of the ballet and the sparkling charm of Tchaikovsky’s music, Nureyev brought a new balance to Marius Petipa’s original choreography by giving more prominence to the male roles. Returning to the Paris Opera stage after an absence of ten years, there is no doubt that Aurora and Désiré, the Lilac Fairy and the Blue Bird, not forgetting the terrible Carabosse, will fascinate new generations.