CARLISLE, PA (February 25, 2013) - A 16th birthday celebration. A wicked fairy's fury. A spell is cast! The Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet (CPYB) continues its season with Alan Hineline's The Sleeping Beauty - the grandest of composer Tchaikovsky's Big Three story ballets.

The Sleeping Beauty runs for three performances only: 1 & 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 21, at Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts in Harrisburg. Tickets may be purchased by calling 717.214.ARTS (2787), in person at 222 Market Street in Harrisburg, or online at whitakercenter.org.

First presented at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg in 1890, The Sleeping Beauty remains the best example of narrative ballet theatre. The timeless story of this 123 year-old classical masterpiece is well known to most theatre-goers. The ballet's creators - composer Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky and choreographer Marius Petipa - transformed a two-dimensional page of Charles Perrault's literary fairy tale bringing to the stage a suspension of reality and time. Watching the ballet unfold, we come to believe in fairies who can magically soften a curse, thereby rescuing all goodness from evil, and in a hero united with his true love.

"The great staying power of The Sleeping Beauty is in Tchaikovsky's ability to heighten the emotional intent of Petipa's libretto and choreography with an incredible musical score," said Alan Hineline. "Our eyes are filled with visual images of movement, our ears take in the sumptuous music, and it all works together to create a powerful emotional experience. I'm so excited to work with the CPYB dancers on this incredible ballet!"

A special date night or memorable family outing, don't miss this rare opportunity to experience the magical moments of the acclaimed fairy tale The Sleeping Beauty.

"Alan's Beauty is an extravaganza of lavish sets and costumes, brilliant dancing and extraordinary music all coming together to create one of the greatest dramas of all time," said Founding Artistic Director Marcia Dale Weary. "I'm thrilled to bring it to the Whitaker stage. It's an ageless story for all ages to enjoy!"

CPYB is supported, in part, by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Cultural Enrichment Fund.

Ticket Information:

The Sleeping Beauty

Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts

1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, April 20

2 p.m. Sunday, April 21

Tickets range from $38-$14

717.214.ARTS (2787) or visit whitakercenter.org

MEDIA OPPORTUNITY: We invite the media to attend upcoming rehearsals and speak with the performers and staff about the performance. For more information, please contact Bonnie Schulte at 717.245.1191 or schulte@cpyb.org. Coverage opportunities of performances are also available and must be set up through Bonnie Schulte.

About Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet

Established in 1955 by Founding Artistic Director Marcia Dale Weary, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet is a nationally and internationally recognized school of classical ballet headquartered in Carlisle, Pa. CPYB's mission is to inspire, educate and enrich the lives of
our students and the region through training in and the performance of classical ballet.

About CPYB Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Resident Choreographer Alan Hineline
Hineline brings a rare blend of business acumen and artistic expertise to one of the nation's foremost schools of classical ballet. He comes directly to CPYB after serving as artistic director and chief operating officer (COO) of Ballet Philippines.

A sought-after choreographer and ballet master, Hineline's work has appeared in the repertories of many companies in North America and has been received enthusiastically in performances around the globe. In 1997 at the invitation of Founding Artistic Director Marcia Dale Weary, Hineline was named resident choreographer for Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. During the last 16 years, he has created numerous ballets for this internationally acclaimed school and company. His body of work can be seen in the repertories of American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, Pennsylvania Ballet, Ballet Philippines, Atlanta Ballet, and The Juilliard Dance Ensemble, among many others. His work has been performed at the New York International Ballet Competition, the Aoyama International Ballet Festival in Tokyo, and the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. He is the founder of CPYB's choreographic initiative, ChoreoPlan. Among his many awards is the Choo-San Goh Award for Choreography from the Choo-San Goh and H. Robert Magee Foundation, as well as multiple National Choreography Awards from Regional Dance America.