PROJECT DETAILS
CHOREOGRAPHER: Roman Mykyta, with selected sections created in collaboration with faculty for the original production
COMPOSER: Sergei Prokofiev
PREMIERE: June 11, 2017 | Laurel High School, Laurel, MD | Performed by Turning Pointe Dance Academy
SYNOPSIS:
Cinderella is a full-length ballet inspired by Sergei Prokofiev’s celebrated score and the timeless fairy tale beloved throughout the world. While honoring the familiar story of a young woman whose kindness transforms her destiny, the ballet explores the mysterious ways love, trust, perseverance, and Providence shape the course of human life.
Rather than presenting Cinderella simply as a tale of magical transformation, the ballet reflects upon love as a relationship founded on freedom, vulnerability, and selfless goodness. Blending classical vocabulary with contemporary movement, American jazz influences, and Slavic stylistic elements inspired by Prokofiev’s extraordinary score, the work offers a fresh interpretation of one of ballet’s most enduring masterpieces.
A TIMELESS STORY
The Cinderella story has appeared in countless cultures throughout history, from the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault to the ancient myth of Cupid and Psyche. Its enduring appeal lies in hope, virtue, and transformation.
BACKGROUND & INSPIRATION
PROKOFIEV’S MODERN MASTERPIECE
Completed during the Second World War and premiered in 1945, Prokofiev’s Cinderella bridges Romantic lyricism with twentieth-century innovation. Its expressive range became a principal source of inspiration for the choreography.
PROVIDENCE AND DESTINY
The choreography views the familiar fairy tale through the lens of Providence. Rather than presenting magic as an end in itself, each encounter, trial, and blessing gradually reveals a larger purpose.