Cinderella. Ballet Premiere by Ballet Institute of San Diego. June 2024

Cinderella. Ballet Premiere in 3 Acts. by Ballet Institute of San Diego
Premiered June 7, 2024 at the J.B. Krock Theatre in San Diego
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Composer: Sergei Prokofiev
Choreography Redaction by Eglė Špokaitė, Katia Anishchenko
Young Student Teachers/choreographer: Catherine Field and Hailey Peterson
Video Broadcast, Photos, and Video: Dainius Mačikėnas
Headpiece Creator: Sabrina Nasci
Costumes: Judy Puma
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Download program here: balletinstitutesd.com/wp-content/uploads/Cinderell…
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THE STORY from Ms. Egle Spokaite, artistic director
"Cinderella" by Charles Perrault is about a young lady named Cinderella who lives under the cruel grip of her stepmother and stepsisters. That is, of course, until she meets the prince and falls in love.
Every Mother or Father will tell a Cinderella story to their child with their own wisdom. Our ballet performance story leaves space for the viewer's imagination. Everyone will see their own story of Cinderella today.
The preparation of Cinderella provided me incredible creative joy. I have been longing to cast this ballet for several years. First – Prokofiev's music is extraordinary. Fresh, deep, sensual. It is true that his modern music (at the time) with its complicated rhythm was a challenge for young dancers who coped very, very well. Second – BISD's soloists and ballet dancers are excellent. The idea of choosing this ballet story was born from a promise to a beloved student of mine many years ago. At the age of 7, Amelie said, “I want to dance Cinderella's naughty sister.” With this Cinderella, I am keeping my promise to let her have this part. Fate has chosen the perfect cast of ballet characters for BISD’s Cinderella. Bianca will dance the part as the other Evil Stepsister as her last role before leaving to attend Princess Grace Academy in Monaco later this fall. Amelie’s and Bianca's duet as the Stepsisters can be called balletically charming perfection. I admit that watching Amelie and Bianca during the rehearsals, I was laughing with tears of joy.
Well, I can't forget to mention our Prince and Cinderella... Symbolically, we should confirm that the ballet pointe shoe - Pointe (French) - of this wonderful little ballerina can only match her very graceful foot. Our Cinderella is like a small but extremely strong and shining diamond in the world of dance. In the hands of our Prince Haruki who has strengthened and matured, Anna feels like a feather. His gestures, jumps, and technique give us understanding about the beauty of male dance.
Our other coryphée and corps de ballet dancers comprise a wonderful Youth ballet company. Preparation for the performance is a collaboration with the students more than it is teaching. It is a creative partnership for all of us, teachers and students alike. Ballet Institute has unique youth company in that our youngest dancers are only 3 years old. We pride ourselves on making each dancer a valuable member of our ballet productions. It's fun for the teachers and the students are taught in a way that is play based, making it an enjoyable learning experience.
I hope that you will enjoy our performance of Cinderella.
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Comments from Ms. Katia Anishchenko, head ballet teacher
After much deliberation and discussion about what to present to our audience as the highlight of the 2024 season, we chose one of the most wonderful and beloved ballets from my childhood. This beautiful story by Charles Perrault, accompanied by Prokofiev's music, has always been a success in theaters around the world. But how would it be performed by children who still lack extensive stage experience?
We wanted to create a production with a touch of irony and humor, something not often seen in classical ballets. However, this added an extra layer of challenge and complexity for our students. In addition to perfecting their technique, they also had to focus on their acting skills. The roles were cast almost immediately, and to our surprise, the children showed incredibly impressive work from the very beginning. It seemed that some of the roles were made for our students.
The entire process of staging the ballet was incredibly interesting. We spent many hours exploring and discovering, but it was always fun and unforgettable. We all enjoyed it immensely and hope that our audience will appreciate it and fall in love with this beautiful story as much as we have. Enjoy the show, dear audience.