Cinderella tale gets new twists

Many Valley dancers have roles in the performances.

TRACEY D’ASTOLFO

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

YOUNGSTOWN — Cinderella probably didn’t resemble the princess in the animated Disney movie of the same name, said Richard Dickinson, artistic director of Ballet Western Reserve.

Dickinson, who is serving as director and choreographer of Ballet Western Reserve’s upcoming production of “Cinderella,” said the original version of Cinderella was a Chinese fairy tale.

“A lot of Chinese stories focus on feet, because of the ancient Chinese practice of binding women’s feet,” he said.

Despite its origins, Dickinson said BWR’s production of the tale sticks to the version with which most people are familiar.

“I have also borrowed some touches of the Disney film version which aren’t in the actual fairy tale version,” he added, “such as the birds and the mice.”

Dickinson said he embellished the story line a bit and added some of his own twists. In one of his added scenes, Cinderella gives a beggar woman a pair of old shoes to wear. The woman later returns as the fairy godmother and transforms the old shoes into the glass slippers.

Fairies added

Another Dickinson touch is the addition of dancers who act as the Four Seasons fairies and dress Cinderella in her finery for the ball.

Dickinson includes many children in the production, who act as dogs, pumpkins, horses and various other roles. Some dancers portray numbers on the clock, warning Cinderella of the approaching midnight hour.

The ballet will feature a cast of more than 50 dancers, including principal guest artists and students in Ballet Western Reserve’s company and school.

Andrea Blankstein, whose affiliations include the Cleveland/San Jose Ballet, will dance the role of Cinderella at the public performances, while Ballet Western Reserve’s Courteny Cochran of Youngstown will perform the role at school performances.

Brian Murphy, principal dancer at Verb Ballets and formerly of Ohio Ballet, will appear as the Prince at all performances.

Lauren Fekete of Canfield and Natalia Hagan of Youngstown will appear as Cinderella’s Stepsisters; Beth Clowes of Austintown as the Fairy Godmother; Quentin Burley of Poland as the Jester; local actor David Waldman as the King; Melissa Ramunno of Canfield as the Summer Fairy; Elena Cvetkovich of Youngstown as the Autumn Fairy; and Emma Rumberg of Poland as the Winter Fairy.

The Spring Fairy will be portrayed by Courteny Cochran at the public performances, and by Katie McConnell of Poland at the school performances.  

Virginia Hartman, children’s ballet Instructor at Ballet Western Reserve, will serve as children’s choreographer and will appear onstage as the Stepmother.