Preview
CINDERELLA
Alberta Ballet
Starring Sabrina Christine Matthews, Mariko Kida, Jonathan Renna and Igor Chornovol
Choreographed by Jean Grand-Maître
Runs March 26 to 28
Jubilee Auditorium
There is some debate about the original elements of the Cinderella fairy tale. Some say there were birds helping the heroine instead of a fairy godmother, and many agree the story was a bloodbath. In this early version, Cinderella parties three times thanks to the birds, who do her work, while the stepsisters cut off their toes and heels trying to squeeze into the glass slipper (it’s believed a bad translation from German turned what were originally fur slippers into glass ones). In the end, the prince rides off with a stepsister, until the birds tell him to trace her trail of blood back to Cinderella.
Charles Perrault’s French version Cendrillon ("Cinderwench") changed things forever. It introduced pumpkins, a control-freak godmother and little mice scurrying around yelling "Vite, vite!" It inspired the composer Prokofiev whose music became the basis for the famous ballet version by Britain’s Royal Ballet in the late 1960s. While other Canadian companies continue to embellish the Royal Ballet version, Alberta Ballet artistic director Jean Grand-Maître has chosen to choreograph his own take on the story to close his troupe’s fairy tale-themed season.
For his version, Grand-Maître is putting a spin on things without violating the fairy tale’s popular storyline. In other words, you can still count on the bloodless, rags-to-riches classic that inspired everyone from Walt Disney to Garry Marshall (The Princess Diaries).
"Whenever I create a story, I try not to modify the narrative too much," says Grand-Maître. "These classic stories have their own inner strength. So I try instead to find things that connect to me."
For one thing, in his new interpretation, Cinderella doesn’t need a man to rescue her, just love. "I think love gives Cinderella courage to fight back and claim what is hers," says Grand-Maître.
As well, he has emphasized one of the fairy tale’s major themes – the movement from darkness to light. "This little girl (is) locked in a basement with no sunlight, no education, barely speaking – easier to do in ballet," he says with a laugh. "She is abused, even half mad. And then there’s this transformation when the fairies put her together, even teaching her how to stand straight. When we get to the palace, we discover a room of complete light, and we’ve really made that journey."
The production promises a neoclassical look and colourful costumes, outlined with a contemporary-looking black-and-white frame to suggest a picture book like the one that served as Grand-Maître’s visual inspiration. Sabrina Christine Matthews and Mariko Kida are alternating in the role of Cinderella, with Jonathan Renna and Igor Chornovol as the prince. They lead an ensemble of nearly 30 dancers, moving to Prokofiev’s passionate score, composed in the Soviet Union’s bleak Stalinist era. Sara Jobin of the San Francisco Opera will be conducting the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.
Grand-Maître’s darkness-to-light vision seems relatively simple, but he feels it is extremely significant in today’s apathetic world.
"We are living in a time of cynicism and dread," he says. "George Bush has us living in fear, and we’re killing poetry. We’re also being told what we should dream while the whole world becomes a battleground for aggressiveness and disease. These naïve stories help us find some balance, but we don’t go for it. I think for most people – except those who face major tragedy – 90 per cent of your life can be wonderful if you allow it to be. And if you take these stories seriously, they can offer so much hope."
As an artist, Grand-Maître can certainly relate to the need for hope.
"At the beginning, Cinderella is a runt – not the submissive pretty princess, but truly terrified down there," he says of his interpretation. "I was very poor when I started out. I called myself ‘the alley cat,’ learning from every job I could get. And overnight, while waitering, I got commissions from Paris Opera, La Scala and others. I go back to that, and I really believe in telling people to go for their dreams. We can’t go on without them." |
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