The Northwest Ballet will present “Aladdin” June 6, 7 and 8 in Bellingham.

Adapted from “The Book of One Thousand and One Nights,” Sir Richard Burton’s 19th-century translation of a collection of 10th-century Persian stories, the production features music by Carl Nielson and Rimsky Korsokov and original choreography by John Bishop. It is the story of Aladdin as he struggles to outwit the evil Noureddin, free the slaves and win the hand of the sultan’s beautiful daughter Gulnare. Northwest Ballet’s Aladdin represents a return to a more ancient version of the tale.

Today “Arabian Nights,” an abridged version, is commonly considered a book for children. The main audience for the collection of medieval Arabic stories was probably originally male adults.

“Aladdin,” “Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves” and the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor are some of the stories from the collection that have become popularized in Western theater and movies.

In “The Book of One Thousand and One Nights,” Shahrazad, under a death sentence, told stories set in Persia, India and China night after night to extend her life one more day. Eventually she was pardoned — saved by her own intelligence, knowledge and imagination.

Bishop, owner and artistic director of Northwest Ballet and former dancer with the American Ballet Theatre and other professional companies, pays tribute to the original with a more serious tone and deeper character development. Despite this, Bishop thinks children will still enjoy the action-packed performance.

“I wanted something that could have a mass appeal. When audiences see it, they get to see a work of art with a compelling story and great dancing,” Bishop said in a released statement.

The Northwest Ballet will present “Aladdin” at 7:30 p.m. June 6 and 7 and 2 p.m. June 8 in the Performing Arts Center at Western Washington University in Bellingham. For tickets, call 360-650-6146 or visit http://www.tickets.wwu.edu.