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A sleeping princess, a handsome prince, fairies bestowing gifts of virtue, a classic battle between good and evil.

That's the familiar narrative of "The Sleeping Beauty," one of the most famous ballets in the repertoire of classical companies throughout the world, including Ballet West.

In time for Valentine's Day, Ballet West is bringing back the full-length classic as conceived by artistic director Adam Sklute based on Marius Petipa's original 1890 choreography and Tchaikovsky's timeless score for a run starting next week at the Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City.

This is Ballet West's third iteration of the ballet since 2011 (last performed in 2014), and for this season Sklute said he sought "to bring out the magic of the fairy tale for children, deepen the distinctive qualities imbued by the fairies to engage grown-ups, and retain the ballet's great grand pageantry for all."

Over the years and restagings, Sklute has renamed the fairies to reflect their qualities, given them more stage time and added program notes to clarify the personas of all the characters, from the Fairy of Wisdom (aka the Lilac Fairy) to the Fairy of Jealousy (aka Carabosse).

Even the title of each act — The Christening, The Spell, The Vision and The Wedding — elucidates the plot, rather than the traditional Prologue, Act I, Act II and Act III.

"Sleeping Beauty is all about Aurora [Beauty] and I see it as a coming-of-age story for a young woman," Sklute says. "All the characters, be they good, be they evil, be they big, be they small, are in one way or another allegorical figures for this young woman's growth from a girl into a woman."

Then there's Prince Desire, who doesn't come onstage until Act II. Prince Desire is a less complex character than the princes of "Swan Lake" and "Giselle," other classics reconceived by Sklute for Ballet West in recent seasons.

But all three princes share one thing in common, according to Sklute: "the desire to escape their courtly life; it's the noble quest they all need to go on."

Sklute said that as he matures in his artistic process, he offers the dancers more "options in the way they portray" the characters.

For Ballet West first soloist Adrian Fry, one of five men dancing the role of Prince Desire during the 13-show run of "The Sleeping Beauty," the role is a special one — the first classical prince he danced.

"Sleeping Beauty is about balance, order, restoration and deep metaphor," said Fry. "Desire is a turbulent prince and I think his sense of unbalance drives him into the woods to retreat from his life. He sought something other than what was provided for him and needed to find it himself. I think he needed to be shown that Aurora would illuminate and restore order and balance to his world."

Ballet West principal dancer Christopher Ruud describes his portrayal of Prince Desire as playing "the representation of what men wish they were — an ideal."

He also finds another connection between the princes he's portrayed in "The Sleeping Beauty," "Swan Lake" and Giselle" — a theme sure to resonate around Valentine's Day.

"What all of these princes have in common is love at first sight," said Ruud. "To see someone for the very first time and simply know that they are the one. I believe in that. It's as if you see someone standing in a crowd of millions with a light shining only on them and you are certain beyond any doubt that they are your missing piece." —

'The Sleeping Beauty'

P Ballet West stages Adam Sklute's reconceived production of the timeless story of a sleeping princess, a handsome prince and the triumph of good over evil for 13 shows, including a Valentine's Day performance.

When • Feb. 10-26; 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10-11, 14, 16-18 and 23-24; 7 p.m. Feb. 15; and 2 p.m. Feb. 11, 18-19 and 26

Where • Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City

Tickets • $19-$97; artsaltlake.org