Cinderella

By Sergei Prokofiev
  • Sunday, April 29, 2018 at Three 0'Clock P.M.
  • Century II Concert Hall
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Overview

The Story

Fairy godmothers, ugly stepsisters, and the iconic glass slippers come to life on stage in Prokofiev’s magical interpretation of “Cinderella.” The Russian National Ballet Theatre’s (RNBT) company of 50 world-class dancers comes to Wichita direct from Moscow to perform one of the most beloved ballets of all time.

What People are Saying

“The sets and costumes were dazzling in their color and style... ”

“An evening of glorious theatre. The sets and costumes were dazzling in their color and style. From the moment the curtain rose to audible gasps of delight until the final ovation, the Russian National Ballet Theatre had their audience spellbound.” CULTURE magazine France

Its History

Inspiration for this production and the original choreography comes from famed ballet dancer and director Rostislav Zakharov, twice awarded the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) state prize, and designated the USSR Peoples’ Artist in 1969.

Setting and Synopsis

An Enchanted Kingdom

Synopsis

  • Act I:

    Cinderella’s Home. Cinderella’s stepmother prepares for the Palace Ball that evening, while the stepsisters tease the father mercilessly and usher him out of the room. Cinderella returns to sweeping but pauses to gaze longingly at a portrait of her dead mother. Her father returns and is distressed by the resemblance between Cinderella and his first wife. Cinderella tries to comfort him, but the stepsisters return and snatch away the portrait.

    Suddenly, an old beggar woman enters. The stepmother gives her the portrait of Cinderella’s mother, but the beggar returns it to Cinderella. In gratitude, Cinderella offers the woman some bread, and the beggar leaves.

    The family departs for the Ball, leaving Cinderella behind. She pretends her broom is her dance partner, but bursts into tears. The beggar woman returns unexpectedly and changes into a fairy godmother. She gives Cinderella a pair of glass slippers and turns her rags into a beautiful gown, but warns Cinderella that at midnight the gown will change back into rags. She transforms a pumpkin into a magnificent carriage, and Cinderella is driven to the Ball like a princess.

  • Act II:

    The Royal Palace. The Prince greets his guests and dances with the ladies in attendance. Cinderella’s arrival interrupts the Ball, and the Prince immediately falls in love with the radiant newcomer. As the Prince and Cinderella dance, the clock strikes midnight. Cinderella rushes away as her gown turns back into rags, but the Prince finds a single glass slipper she left behind in her haste.

  • Act III

    Cinderella’s Home. Alone, Cinderella finds the other glass slipper in her pocket. She hides it as the stepsisters return, proudly displaying the gifts they received from the Prince. Suddenly the Prince arrives in search of the owner of the glass slipper he found. Each of the stepsisters tries to squeeze an oversized foot into the tiny slipper, but with no success. The Prince notices Cinderella and asks her to try on the slipper. As she moves to do so, the second slipper falls from her pocket. The Prince is overjoyed and asks her to be his wife on the spot.

About the Russian National Ballet Theatre

The Russian National Ballet Theatre was founded in Moscow in the late 1980s. During this period of Perestroika, many great dancers and choreographers of the Soviet Union’s ballet institutions were exercising their newfound creative freedom by creating new, vibrant companies dedicated both to preserving and invigorating the tradition of classical Russian Ballet by integrating new developments in dance from around the world.

The company, then called the Soviet National Ballet, was founded by and composed of graduates from the great Russian choreographic schools in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Perm. The company’s principal dancers came from the upper ranks of the great ballet theaters and academies of Russia, and the companies of Riga, Kiev and Warsaw. Today, the Russian National Ballet Theatre is its own institution, with over 50 dancers of vast experience and singular instruction, some of whom have been with the company since its inception.

In 1994, legendary Bolshoi prima ballerina Elena Radchenko was appointed by Presidential decree to assume the first permanent artistic directorship of the company. She has focused the RNBT on upholding the grand national tradition of Russian ballet and developing new talents throughout Russia. The company’s repertoire includes virtually all the works of Marius Petipa: “Swan Lake,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Don Quixote,” “La Bayadere,” “Raymonda,” “Coppelia,” “Paquita” and “La Sylphide” as well as many other productions including “The Nutcracker,” “Sylvia” and “La Fille Mal Gardée.”