Cinderella Abstraction: Choreographer Notes

Roman Mykyta, Choreographer

Prokofiev’s Cinderella is certainly one of my favorite ballets.  I have performed in the full-length production twice, and have very special memories from both experiences.  Its richness truly begins with its story and its themes. The story is timeless, appearing in one form or another in the literature of almost every culture throughout history, from the Grimm Brothers, to Charles Perrault, to the Arabian Nights, and even within the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche, which was notably expounded on by C. S. Lewis in his book Till We Have Faces.  It is this retelling, with its three major themes of “goodness attracts goodness,” “love cannot exist without trust,” and “seeking to better understand the work of the Divine” that inspired the choreography for this project.

Examining the first major theme, “goodness attracts goodness,” the main character, Cinderella, pursues goodness in her countenance and in doing so she both enables and beautifies the things around her.  However, her goodness is met with persecution from many of those who surround her.  Though she responds with perseverance, the story asks the question why should she be good, especially in light of her suffering?  Ultimately, the answer is what is promised in the Beatitudes, long-suffering is the natural and noble cost of being good yet the reward is to be in love and in relationship with an even greater good.  Within the story, there are two characters who represent this greater good. The first is the Fairy godmother, who first encounters Cinderella as a beggar-woman. The parable of “serving the least of these” is clearly illustrated here.  From of a heart full of charity, Cinderella offers all that she has to the beggar woman, who transforms and offers Cinderella all of the gifts that she can give to help her achieve her destiny.  Cinderella’s destiny is to love and be loved, and the person she is meant to share this with is the Prince. 

Once Cinderella is at the Ball, she and the Prince are attracted to each other because of a mutual goodness, a freedom of spirit, and an openness of heart. The attraction and the relationship both work on metaphorical and practical levels.

The second part of the story deals with the theme “love cannot exist without trust.” When the Prince and Cinderella first fall in love, she is in disguise and, at the time, unwilling to reveal her vulnerable identity.   She flees, but the Prince, out of love, pursues her.  In time she allows herself to become vulnerable and in the end, because of this, their relationship is strengthened and fully realized.

The third major theme of the story is “seeking to better understand the work of the Divine” which sometimes feels hidden within mystery. At one point in the story Cinderella questions why the Fairies enabled her to go to the Ball only to take it all away. This is a very real struggle when facing suffering and when the path of life feels unclear and uncontrolled.  At the end of the story however, after Cinderella is reunited with the Prince and they are about to pursue the rest of their lives together, Cinderella is able to look back on the course of her life and all of the people and details who colored it and peacefully come to an understanding of the course Providence was always steering her on.

In presenting this piece, I knew my chief goal was to clearly articulate these themes. 

It is Prokofiev’s work with the music that makes the themes of the story truly come alive.  Cinderella was written during WWII and presented in 1945 as a victory celebration in the Soviet Union.  Of all the ballets set to fairy-tales, which were largely premiered in the 1890s with composers like Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev’s Cinderella stands out in the repertoire for its modernity.  Even though Prokofiev conceived it to fit into a classical mold (like a Tchaikovsky ballet), it is very contemporary in its sensibility, even now, in the 21st century.  To me, his sensibility creates an incredible effect for a ballet score.  His life straddled two eras of Russian history from Imperial Rule to the Soviets, and similarly his musical style straddles the late-Romantic lyricism (of say Tchaikovsky) with modern innovations (of say Stravinsky).  His Romanticism is therefore even more unhinged as his atonal experiments and heavy percussion drive the listener, the dancer, and the audience to abandon themselves even more to the lush and overwhelming energy of a romantic waltz or intimate feelings of love.

The other noteworthy thing about the score’s modernity are the distinct American styles that can be found at different points throughout, no doubt discovered by the composer during his travels to the West.  At the same time however, other parts of the score, and the composer’s style as a whole are indisputably Slavic in mood and character.

In emphasizing the modernity and spunk of the show, I wanted to present different elements of the story in stylistic pastiche. Since fairy-tales are timeless, there is a blend of traditional and modern story-telling devices.  Stylistically in the choreography, I tried to match Prokofiev’s style in the music. While I used a largely classical base, my idea was to liberate the technique beyond the old style and to go in directions that could convey the themes and be expressive in a more raw way.  I also wanted to add elements of American jazz and Slavic folk styles into the choreography to compliment these different music styles. The most important thing I wanted to match with the music was the sense of liberation and abandonment into something that was beautiful, intimate, and loving.

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