© 2013 European Ballet Company

The room seems to dissolve as the  Fairy Godmother magically transforms it into a realm of fantasy. Fairy elements  - Earth and Water, dance for the Fairy Godmother and prepare Cinderella for the  ball. The neglected girl is now dressed in beautiful clothes, a jewelled ballgown,  she boards the golden coach and the joyous departure for the ball begins. However, Cinderella must be back  home before the clock strikes midnight or she will immediately return back to  her outfit of rags.

Act II (in three scenes)

Scene 1 -  The ball is being held at the  palace. The Prince enters. There is a series of court dances, one of them  involving the two ugly Stepsisters. Suddenly, the air seems to be filled with a  mysterious presence and Cinderella appears. Everyone is astonished at her beauty  and wonders who she is. The romantic high point comes with  the Pas de Deux for the handsome Prince and the now glittering Cinderella. The  scene concludes with a vivacious ensemble dance, led by the two young lovers,  interrupted by the striking of midnight and Cinderella’s swift departure.  Rushing from the ballroom, Cinderella loses her slipper. The Prince, bewildered,  is left clasping the slipper.

Scene 2 - The Prince is determined to find  the slipper’s owner, traveling the world if need be. The Prince’s companions,  having received their orders from him, are searching for the lady whose foot  will fit into the slipper lost at the ball.

(Music - Prokofiev; Choreography - Stanislav Tchassov)

Serge Prokofiev’s magical music is widely regarded as one of the most important scores written for classical ballet in the twentieth century. The ballet Cinderella has been staged many times. The Soviet ballet production (the Russian title for Cinderella is  Zolushka), with choreography by R. Zakharov to Prokofiev’s score, held its  premiere at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in January 1945.

Cinderella

Act I

In this act we are introduced to  the drab Cinderella, dreaming of better days, obeying the orders of her ugly  Stepsisters, dancing gracefully with a broom. Further on, the ugly Stepsisters  fight over a scarf, scorn a begging hag (to whom Cinderella gives a few coins),  prepare themselves in finery for the ball, and under the direction of a dancing  teacher, engage in a hilarious sequence of attempts to master dance steps and  party etiquette. With the departure of the Stepsisters, the hag returns and  reveals herself to Cinderella as the Fairy Godmother.

Scene 3 - Cinderella is sitting by the  fireplace in her home. Only a single slipper convinces her that her experience  was more than just a dream.

The Prince enters with his escort. The slipper fails  to fit the ugly Stepsisters, and when it slips easily on to the foot of  Cinderella, the Prince declares that she shall be his wife. The girl forgives  her Stepsisters for their cruelty. After the dancing, the young lovers put on  cloaks to depart away to happiness.