And The Shoe Fit..? ("Breaking Pointe" Cinderella Revealed)

Reality ballet series - Mondays 9/8c on the CW network (USA)

Ballet reality show Breaking Pointe (on the CW network) is going behind the scenes as they put together their new production of Cinderella. And this Monday (yesterday), they announced who Cinderella will be - (and it really was a case of "whom the shoe fit"..!)

Although this is the poster from LAST season,
it seems very fitting for Cinderella, don't you think?

In case you haven't heard of this show before, the series, now in it's second season, follows the trials, tryouts and tears of Ballet Wests stars and up-and-comers as they vie for the best positions in various shows and in the company.


In staging a fairy tale ballet, not only will we see the drama that goes along with these athlete-artists competing and training for a grueling and high profile show, we'll also be seeing the nuances of how the fairy tale is interpreted and told via the medium of ballet.

While the show is airing well after the actual dramas, rehearsals and even performances have happened, it means we know a little more of how the show will turn out... (are you ballet people keeping up with my puns in this post? Good. ;)

The choreography is possibly the most well known version of Cinderella for ballet, by Sir Frederick Ashton, using Prokofiev's (AMAZING!!) score. (And yes, my MOOC-friends, it is based on Perrault's version. ;)

I haven't done enough research to know if they set this production in 1920's Hollywood like Nureyev did when he directed his production (I'm guessing fro the few pics I've seen, they didn't), but that interpretation, complete with pumpkin-to-rolls royce (& the ethereal Sylvie Guillem) stands out in my mind as being a excellent one (and if you're looking for a ballet version of Cinderella to study, I highly recommend that one).

Sylvie Guillem - Cinderella

Here's the press release from the Ballet West performance season announcement:

Join Ballet West for the sparkling new production of Sir Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella.Complete with a heart-stopping musical score by Sergei Prokofiev, this classic fairytale is filled with romance and comedy, mesmerizing dance, and hilarious fun for the entire family. Beautiful and grand, funny and touching, Ashton’s Cinderella has been called the perfect ballet experience for newcomers, young audiences and seasoned aficionados.  This season, Ballet West becomes the second company in America to present this magical spectacle. 

“A loving, funny, choreographically elegant setting of this beloved story and Prokofiev’s stirring score.”   – Alastair Macaulay, The New York Times

Cinderella rehearsal

If you're curious about the show, here's an excerpt from the "blurb";

2013 poster for Season 2

For the first time ever, the beauty and grace of ballet, the world's preeminent dance form, will be brought to television. Viewers will also see the dark side of this seemingly perfect world; the jealousy, competition and intensity that exist behind the scenes at a professional ballet company. For under the tights and tutus lie warriors, who battle in a gritty world of extreme athleticism, focus and dedication, while hunting for the unattainable...perfection. 

"Breaking Pointe" rips back the curtain on the inner workings of elite Salt Lake City Ballet Company, Ballet West. It obliterates the notion that ballet is a dated art form and shatters pre-conceived stereotypes about the men and women who give their lives to the world of ballet. Beneath their perfect exteriors, these dancers have the toughness of linebackers, punishing their bodies to achieve perfection and dancing through injuries and pain. 

...No one sees, when the curtain goes down, the drama that bleeds into the dancers’ private lives…until now.

If you're following the show and want to know who was cast in which roles, you can check the link HERE for the "spoilers" (scroll down).

You can also follow the Ballet West blog (with numerous excellent photos) HERE or on Facebook with lots of updates and sneak peeks HERE.

Fairy tale bonus of the day:

Ballet West also staged Aladdin earlier this year, of which there are some lovely and interesting photos, like the one below, HERE.