7 replies to this topic

[primaballerina13]

I am going to be dancing in the ballet Cinderella soon. I know the non-dancing story of Cinderella ,but what is the ballet story?  I was also wondering what the hard parts are and what is a good part to try out for.






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[BalletNut]

Depends who the choreorapher is. I think it's safe to say that, more or less, the story differs quite a bit from the Disney version. (My ex-roommate saw the Ashton Cinderella video I have, and said, "Like, omigod! Like, where's the mice? This ballet sucks..." ) But I guess you weren't looking to play Gus-gus or "Roo-ci-fee" then were you? Can't judge which parts are harder than others, since I don't dance ballet, they would all be EXTREMELY hard for me to do. But, in the Ashton version, the roles are not unlike Sleeping Beauty. It's like this:
Aurora=Cinderella=THE ballerina
Prince=same=self explanatory
Fairy Godmother=Lilac Fairy=2nd Ballerina
Carabosse=Stepsisters=Men in Drag
Both ballets have a lot of fairies; Sleeping Beauty has about ten or so with solo parts; Cinderella has 4, one per season, they get to do solos which look pretty hard. Each has her own cavalier.
Then there's the ladies and gentlemen of the court, who get several dances, and the corps of (female) fairies who get to dance to one of the most glorious waltzes ever written! Assuming you will be doing the Prokofiev music, of course.

By the way, who is the choreographer?Sir Frederick Ashton? Ben Stevenson? Rostislav Zakharov? Someone else?

[Alexandra]

Hi, Prima Ballerina13.  The story for that Cinderella ballets I've seen is pretty much the same as the fairytale.  There isn't one standard version, so it's hard to tell which role would be the hardest or the most interesting.  I'd recommend the Ashton video, too!  (And I think the fairy variations are very hard!)

Sometimes the Stepsisters are dancing roles, danced by young women.  And sometimes, in the Ashton, they're what are called "travesty roles," danced by men.  I'd bet in your school show those parts will be danced by girls, and they might be fun to do, because you get to be bad on stage

Most choreographers use the Prokofiev score, and there are roles for 4 fairies (one for each season).  And then it will depend on what version you'll be doing.

[Hans]

Just wanted to clarify that there are six fairies in Sleeping Beauty, not ten .

[BalletNut]

In the prologue, there are 6, yes, but in Act 3 there's the Gold, Silver, Sapphire, and Diamond fairies too. Hence, 10. 11, if you count Carabosse.

[Alexandra]

Not forgetting Lilac

[Mel Johnson]

She's one of the six in the Prologue.  The only reason that some companies made her a seventh fairy was in response to that photograph that was found in the seventies showing Marie Petipa doing the role in a soft skirt and heeled shoes.  This was her act I and later costume.  In the Prologue she had originally worn the regulation "tarlatan" tutu.

[primaballerina13]

I'm not really sure what choregraphy we're using since we haven't actually started it yet and there hasn't been that much info. I think we'll probably use my teacher's mom's choreography which is pretty cool.