Cinderella, March 23, 2007, Cobb Civic Center

I've never been crazy about the music to Cinderella. It was written by Sergei Prokofiev, whose music I like in general, and to be sure there are some parts of the music that I enjoy. For the most part, though, I find it a bit boring, and I think that colors my perception of the ballet. So going in to this performance by the Ruth Mitchell Dance Theatre, my expectations were modest.

Before the curtain came up, a woman came on stage and spoke for a few minutes about how expensive it was to put on the show. As an example, she had one of the dancers model a costume which she said cost $700. (Costume mistress daughter's note: $700, and it's made on a leotard?) She also told the story of how the choreographer, Tom Pazic, originally set this ballet on the Atlanta Ballet in the 70's, and how it had only been performed once since, by the Sacramento Ballet. This immediately made me wonder if perhaps the reason it hadn't been staged many times was that it wasn't a knock-out. This turned out to be the case.

Unfortunately, the quality of the dancing turned out to be at about the same level as the music and choreography. Ericka Shannon, as Cinderella, was a happy exception. While her line could be a touch more defined, she portrayed the character's innocence and sweetness with a natural charm. Also notable was Ashleigh Whitworth as the Autumn Fairy. Vincas Greene and Dean Williams were hilarious as the Stepsisters, and even danced on pointe in their size-12 shoes.