THE Vienna Festival Ballet brought their production of Sleeping Beauty to the Wimborne Tivoli on a snowy Thursday night.

Despite the severe weather, the company performed to a house with very few empty seats – a testament to their enduring popularity in Wimborne.

Charlie North-Lewis, the theatre’s general manager, said: “They come twice a year and we’re always very pleased with the performance.”

The performance enjoyed by the Tivoli’s audience was given as part of a British tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the company, established by Austrian dancer Peter Mallek.

The dancers performed to a score by Tchaikovsky, a three-act ballet considered by some to be the Russian composer’s greatest achievement.

It tells the story of Princess Aurora, who suffers a curse from wicked fairy, Carabosse, who threatens her with death if she pricks her finger.

The Lilac Fairy intervenes, however, and on the fateful day the princess and the entire palace instead fall into a deep sleep.

But the intervention of the Lilac Fairy saves the Princess from death, and reducing the curse to a lifetime of sleep for Aurora and her entire court.

The arrival of Prince Florimund a century later sees Princess Aurora awakened with a kiss. Her court is roused from sleep and attends to a royal wedding.

The company will return to the Tivoli on April 28 to perform their interpretation of the Cinderella fairytale.