Word: cinderellas
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Michael Corder recently won a 1997 Olivier Award (British version of the Tony Award) for his choreography of Cinderella, and for the most part, it shows. The production, which makes its American debut this month at the Boston Ballet, has many enchanting and delightful facets. The company members perform their dual roles of dancers and actors with admirable ease. Despite some technical problems that took place during Act One of opening night, the set falls into place and takes the audience's breath away. The choreography itself dazzles, living up to and beyond Boston Ballet's usual high standards...
...gowns for the ladies and drab tuxedoes for the men in the eerily-lit ballroom scene, also add to the mood. Perhaps the unexplained variations in the story-line, which Corder himself hopes create "a feeling of mystery and magic," cause a slightly unsettling feeling instead. Whatever the reason, Cinderella remains a delightful, if somewhat dark, performance piece...
Most people are familiar with the rags-to-riches fairy tale. However, Boston Ballet adds a few details which may prove confusing (and somewhat ethnically offensive) for members of the audience who are only familiar with Disney's version of the fairy tale. Cinderella's father is not dead, but very weak-spirited, and only watches sadly as the wicked stepsisters torment his daughter. Cinderella's late mother left her a locket, which the stepsisters try to steal from her. Cinderella gets a bit of revenge when the Dancing Master visits, for she learns the steps faster than her jealous...
Fortunately, these minor additions do not take away from the dancing itself, which could not be better. What is particularly complicated about Cinderella is that in telling the story, the dancers must emote and act as well as perform ballet steps. As Cinderella, Larissa Ponomarenko embodies innocence and beauty in their most graceful forms. She maneuvers through intricate steps and pirouettes with great spirit and energy. Equally graceful is the Prince (Patrick Armand), whose powerful leaps and emotional style lift him above the one-dimensional deux-es-machina role that he usually plays in other versions. Both the Dancing Master...
Bourne has become something of a specialist in inspired dance recensions. He has done The Nutcracker set in a workhouse so that Clara's transport to Sweetieland is more dramatic, and his La Sylphide (called Highland Fling) takes place in modern Glasgow. A new Cinderella debuts in London this fall. Bourne may be free with the classics, but never with the score. "I come to music as a fan," he says. "It's why I do these things." Perhaps that's also the reason that Cooper, who could have any dance job in the world, came to Bourne...