For New Haven Ballet’s spring production of The Sleeping Beauty, the answer was found in countless hours of rehearsal, preparation, artistry, teamwork—and the quiet moments that happen long before the curtain rises.

This 11-minute behind-the-curtain film takes you inside the journey, from rehearsals at the New Haven Ballet studio to show day at the historic Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut.

Directed by Artistic Director Lisa Kim, the production brought together young dancers, professional performers, teachers, families, and an extraordinary team working behind the scenes to create one unforgettable performance.

At the heart of the film is the human side of ballet: dancers rehearsing the same movement again and again, instructors shaping technique, performers preparing backstage, and the anticipation that builds as opening curtain approaches.

One of the most memorable stories comes from costume designer and wardrobe mistress Kimberly Salsbury, who shared the history of the Bluebird tutu—a costume that had previously served as the Snow Queen in The Nutcracker for more than two decades. Carefully cleaned, redesigned, and given a new life, the tutu became a beautiful reminder that in ballet, nothing truly disappears. Costumes, traditions, knowledge, and stories are passed from one generation to the next.

And then comes show day.

The quiet of the rehearsal studio gives way to the energy of the Shubert Theatre. Dancers step into costume. Final preparations happen backstage. Families gather. The lights come up.

And suddenly, everything the dancers have worked toward becomes alive on stage.

As a photographer and filmmaker, these are the moments I love most—not simply the polished performance, but everything surrounding it. The concentration before a dance. The hands adjusting a costume. The nervous excitement. The final checks. The embrace after the curtain falls.

Because performance doesn’t begin when the lights come up.

It begins long before.

It lives in the rehearsal studio, backstage, in the hands of teachers and costume makers, and in the families who support these young artists every step of the way.

It was an honor for Lensdoit Media to document this chapter of New Haven Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty through both photography and film.

Step behind the curtain and experience the story
beyond the stage.

And if your organization, performance, or brand has a story worth seeing—not just documenting—Lensdoit Media creates thoughtful photography and video that brings people, process, and purpose into focus.