New Cinderellas

Diana Vishneva as Cinderella

Sergei Prokofiev’s music, composed in the 1940s, has become one of the most incredibly popular ballet scores, and numerous choreographers have turned to this melodious and image-rich musical tale. And each and every choreographer has presented his or her own vision of the protagonist. Some have transformed her from a slob into a society “It girl”, others have made her a film star; some have told the familiar-to-all story with a genuine child-like belief in miracles and beautiful fairy-tales and still more have filled their productions with humour. Alexei Ratmansky’s ballet is filled with irony, though his protagonist retains her sincerity and dream-like qualities. The world that surrounds Cinderella changes, and Ratmansky depicts it from the point of view of a contemporary artist. Cinderella, however – as in Yevgeny Shvarts’ play – remains “fairytale-like and beautiful, supernaturally sincere and mysteriously modest” at the ball. And no superficial alterations can change the basic inner essence that “there is nothing that can make a foot small, a soul great or a heart fair.” With Ratmansky, Cinderella meets her Prince, but the ballet ends in minor key. In the finale of Prokofiev’s score the choreographer heard something of the indefinite... And each dancer seems to answer the question as to what awaits Cinderella in her own way.

Also making their debuts in the performance on 10 November are Anastasia Petushkova (the Stepmother), Nadezhda Gonchar (Khudyshka) and Trofim Malanov (Male Dance).