By CHLOE ALLEN / Special to the Reporter

From perfecting their pirouettes to the very last rehearsal, the students of Grebel Dance and the Alabama Youth Ballet are putting in weeks of tedious practice and hard, dedicated work to prepare for their spring performance of  “The Sleeping Beauty.”

Inspired by the beloved Brothers Grimm adaptation of the original author, Charles Perrault’s fairytale involving a beautiful princess, a sleeping enchantment and a handsome prince, the performance will feature music by Tchaikovsky, the composer of the ballet’s original score and original choreography by Marius Petipa with adaptations by Stevan Grebel, the company’s owner and artistic director.

Dancers of all ages and levels will be gracing the stage for the enchanting Act Three of the classic fairytale. “Aurora’s Wedding,” is the final act of the ballet that tells the story of Princess Aurora and Prince Florimund’s marriage and features not only the characters from the story, but also several familiar faces from other fairytales such as Cinderella, Puss in Boots, and Little Red Riding Hood that all come to celebrate the joyous occasion. “It’s a very large cast, we have about 50-60 dancers total,” said Deborah Grebel, the executive director of Grebel Dance. “We will even have guest artists preforming with us from Georgia and New York.”

Grebel also said it is a great opportunity for the community and people of all ages to experience story in a new way while enjoying the ballet in a family friendly atmosphere. “We want to educate the public, that’s a big part of our mission,” Grebel said.

“The Sleeping Beauty” opens on Saturday, May 16, at Pelham High School at 3 p.m. All tickets are $10 per person. All seats are reserved. Visit Grebeldance.com for more information about ordering tickets.