Friday, April 29, 2016

Childrens Ballet Theater of Michigan's: Cinderella

Every year the Children's Ballet Theater of Michigan prepares for months and performs the Nutcracker at the Wharton Center and then in the spring we perform a story ballet at Holt High School's auditorium. The Ballets are top notch and you won't find anything like them anywhere in mid-Michigan ( no matter what anyone tells you, and no I'm not being bias). The costuming, sets, props, music and choreography is all carefully done to make our shows look almost as professional as a production done by any professional company out there.

I have been a member of this company for many years now and I am extremely excited for the upcoming production. This spring we are doing CINDERELLA the ballet. In the ballet there is the ugly stepsisters, who bring a lot of laughter to the show, Cinderella, who everybody knows and loves, Prince Charming, Fairy Godmother, The stepmother, And the four fairies, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter there also are other parts, but these are the principal ones. Though the four fairies are not seen in the movies, all ballerinas know that they are always in the ballet version of Cinderella.

Photo Credit: CBT 

The ballet version of Cinderella is  sort of different than the fairy tale version. Cinderella starts showing the story of how her mother dies, then her father re marries and then her mother dies and she is left to live with her mean stepmother and her two stepsisters, who none of them treat her well at all. There is a scene where Cinderella lets homeless children eat at her house and her stepmother freaks out and then that is when the Fairy Godmother comes in and takes her away.
First they end up in a beautiful forest, where Cinderella's Fairy Godmother resides. There they meet the four fairies, who dance for her, and other creatures of the area also welcome her with dance. The Fairies present her with a gown, a mask, a crown, and shoes to wear to the ball. She changes within seconds and looks like the true princess. When it is time to leave, the "time keepers" come to let her know it's time to leave and off they go... to the ball.
At the ball, Prince Charming is looking for a suitable princess and he ultimately chooses Cinderella but before she has time to reveal herself to him, the time keepers return and Cinderella must leave once again, and on her way out the prince finds one of her shoes and is determined to find her.
Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother end up in a village where they meet the locals and have a great time while hiding from the prince's men and her family who are looking for her.
The next morning, The prince and his men come to the house of Cinderella and try the shoe on everyone and it fits her (because it's her shoe) and her and the prince get married and live happily ever after.
Personal Photo
I am overjoyed that I was cast as one of the four fairies. It is my first principal role in my ballet career and I have never been happier. I was cast as the Summer Fairy. It is extra exciting for me because i get my own solo/variation plus I get to do other things such as codas and dances that I normally would not get the honor of doing.
Personal Photo
Our production is based off this story and so much more, anyone who comes to see it will not be let down. The show runs may 6-9th, the 6&7 are at 7:00pm and the 8th is at 2:00pm at Holt High School Auditorium. This is a link to the video of a preview from the ballet a couple years back and it is still a good representation of the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRrkN70a_CY

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