A place where the stage transforms into a home for fairy tales. Classic stories find new life through pirouettes, dazzling twists, and turns, woven seamlessly into the narrative of a ballet performance. Ballet of Lights in Ottawa embraces plot twists of its own—especially when Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella are retold beneath a stage bathed in light.
What is the Ballet of Lights?
What we like to call “Ballet of Lights” in Ottawa is an ageless event that places classic tales at the heart of ballet—proving that timeless stories endure. Performed by just five or six dancers in an abridged version of what is usually a three-hour production, the shows reimagine Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty in a luminous performance, with costumes embedded with lights that bring every twist and turn to life. It is a performance made for those who thrive on imagination, where technology and ballet’s expressive nature intertwine quite nicely.
Ballet of Lights in Ottawa: Which story is being performed now?
Calling all dreamers aged five and up to step into 60 minutes of fairytale wonder. For now, Cinderella takes the spotlight, but rest assured—Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are waiting in the wings, ready to join the luminous world of Ballet of Lights.
Cinderella
When you think of Cinderella, you think of a glass slipper. And as uncomfortable as that may sound to any being of the sort, the story itself floods hope into those virtuous in their own right. From Charles Perrault’s Cendrillon to the Brothers Grimm’s darker Aschenputtel, Cinderella has weathered the waves of tradition. Set to music by Tchaikovsky, Rossini’s William Tell, and others, the princess’s magical journey is beautifully reimagined under the glowing costumes of a Ballet of Lights performance.
Sleeping Beauty
An evil witch, a cursed spinning wheel and a sleepy princess — The Sleeping Beauty is a classic tale coming to life inside Kailash Mital Theatre this season. The innovative 60-minute ballet show features pre-recorded music and choreography that will be illuminated by the glowing costumes illuminated by fibre-optic lights. Follow Princess Aurora on her journey through magic, love and a 100-year slumber.
Ballet of Lights takes the stage in Ottawa for a limited run on selected dates, with showtimes designed to welcome audiences of all ages. Performed in a radiant, light-filled setting at the Kailash Mital Theatre, these abridged productions of Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella combine the elegance of classical ballet with lighting and costume designs that embrace technology.