PROJECT DETAILS
CHOREOGRAPHER: Roman Mykyta
COMPOSER: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
PREMIERE: February 12, 2022 | Private Performance, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Annapolis, MD | Performed by The Ballet Theatre of Maryland
CAST: 21 Women, 5 Men
RUN TIME: 27 minutes
SYNOPSIS:
The Little Slippers is a comedic one-act ballet inspired by Nikolai Gogol’s beloved Ukrainian Christmas tale The Night Before Christmas. Set in a lively village filled with colorful characters, mischievous spirits, and festive celebration, the ballet follows the earnest blacksmith Vakula as he embarks on an extraordinary quest to win the heart of the spirited Oksana.
When Oksana declares she will only marry him if he brings her the slippers of Empress Catherine the Great, Vakula’s impossible journey carries him from a witches’ sabbath to the imperial court of St. Petersburg. Blending humor, fantasy, romance, and Ukrainian folk tradition, the ballet celebrates the triumph of sincerity, perseverance, and love over pride and temptation.
NIKOLAI GOGOL’S UKRAINE
Originally published in 1832 as part of Evenings on a Farm Near Dykanka, The Night Before Christmas captures the humor, folklore, and vibrant village life of nineteenth-century Ukraine.
BACKGROUND & INSPIRATION
TCHAIKOVSKY’S CHEREVICHKI
This ballet is set to orchestral music from Tchaikovsky’s opera Cherevichki, itself based on Gogol’s story. The music provides a richly theatrical foundation for transforming the literary tale into a one-act ballet.
HUMOR, FOLKLORE, AND IMAGINATION
The Little Slippers delights in playful supernatural encounters, comic misunderstandings, and colorful village traditions. Beneath its humor lies a celebration of perseverance, generosity, and joyful Ukrainian spirit.
VIDEO SAMPLE
PHOTO GALLERY
