Cinderella - Ballet Tickets | Schedule for 2024/2025 Events

Cinderella – Ballet

Cinderella is an ancient fairytale with countless versions, retellings, and reproductions. It is also known as The Little Glass Slipper. The first version was set in Egypt and narrated between 7BC and 23AD.

The European version is more popular and was wrist published in 1634 in Italy. We are most familiar with the English version, which was published in 1697 in French.

The tale of a sad cinder girl, a fairy godmother, and the prince at the ball has mesmerized kids and adults over the centuries.

Italian ballerina Pierina Legnani was the first dancer to perform Cinderella in 1893. The show was premiered at Marinsky Theatre, Russia.

The next Cinderella ballet was composed sometime between 1940 and 1944 by Sergei Prokofiev, a Russian composer, conductor, and pianist. The narrative ballet was performed in 1945 with choreography by Rostislav Zakharov. 

Today, many ballet companies stage Cinderella ballet in their annual shows every year. You can find more information about the performances on our website. 

The History of Cinderella Ballet

Fredrick Ashton was the first to perform the fairytale in the West. He used Sergei Prokofiev’s music for the show and added a comic track to the tale through the step-sisters’ antics. In the ballet, he played one of the stepsisters.  

However, the Cinderella ballet that got the audience’s attention was the one by Ben Stevenson. His version was considered a ‘pas de deux between Cinderella and her prince.’ 

Christopher Wheeldon created his version of the ballet in 2012. The show was a co-production between San Francisco Ballet and the Dutch National Ballet.

It doesn’t have the fairy godmother or mice. Instead, the story is more realistic with a focus on humans and uses visual effects to create the mood. 

Cinderella – Ballet

The difference in Cinderella ballet by different companies lies in how they tweak the storyline, use the costumes and music, and choreograph the dance moves. 

For example, the American Ballet Theatre uses the Ben Stevenson version with music by Sergei Prokofiev. The three-act ballet show is a delight for fairytale fans. The first act lasts for 35 minutes. The second act is 32 minutes long, and the final act is 24 minutes. 

Boston Ballet company performs Cinderella ballet choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton. The story is divided into three acts, where the fairy godmother appears at the end to bless Cinderella and her prince. Check out our site for further details.