Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor

Just about the whole world knows the story of Cinderella, the sweet girl who is mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters, but who goes on to win the heart of the realm’s royal prince, and lives happily for ever after.

Russian composer, Sergei Prokofiev, created the score for the “Cinderella” ballet back in 1944, and the fairy-tale heroine has been on ballet stages ever since.

And this weekend she will be on stage again, at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, when Ballet San Antonio presents the premiere of a new version of the ballet, choreographed by California-based choreographer Conny Mathôt.

“It’s a brand-new ballet. We started from scratch,” said Mathôt, who was approached by BSA’s artistic director Sofiane Sylve about creating a reconceptualized ‘Cinderella.’ “She asked me whether I would be interested in choreographing such a ballet for Ballet San Antonio, and I said, yes, of course. We were actually going to do it before COVID hit but the pandemic stopped everything. So, this project has been in discussion for a long time. When we regrouped, we looked at different story lines, and at the company dancers, to make sure that ‘Cinderella’ would be a good fit for this company.”

They clearly decided that it was, mainly because the company has a number of strong female dancers. “It’s a good ballet to feature the ladies real nicely. There are many parts for female dancers,” noted the choreographer.

Aside from Cinderella herself – who is renamed Ella in this show – the story includes a mother, a stepmother, two stepsisters, the Season Fairies – Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter – the fairy godmother, and a few other female characters.

In preparation, Mathot, read every Cinderella story she could find going back to the Ancient Greeks but she also wanted this version to be more appropriate for the time that we live in.

“In our version, the story and the acting are more human, more natural, which, I think, will appeal more to families and especially children,” she said.  And the story itself is tweaked to make it more logical and realistic. For instance, in this telling of the familiar tale, Ella and the Prince meet in childhood but lose touch over the years, especially after Ella loses her mother and her circumstances change.

Other new twists turn Ella’s dead mother into her fairy godmother and guardian, and there are four Season Fairies who disguise themselves as people to take care of Cinderella and take her to the famous ball. “It’s a really magical scene,” said the choreographer. But the post-ball search for the foot that fits the lost shoe, is played for laughs. In fact, there are touches of humor throughout the show.

Mathôt is a choreographer who takes her job very seriously. She confided that she had been listening to Prokofiev’s score every day for months. Now it’s with her even if she is not playing a recording. The music is playing in her head.

“It’s such deep music, with so many layers! I think we touched upon all those layers,” she said.

Two ballerinas will alternate in the role of Cinderella – Buse Babadug and Brenna Mulligan, while the Prince will be portrayed by BSA veteran Michael Agudelo for the entire four-performances run. Agudelo joined BSA in 2016 and was promoted to soloist in 2021, He has appeared in many roles such as the Cavalier in “The Nutcracker,” Albrecht in “Giselle,’’ Siegfried in “Swan Lake” and other leading parts.

Babadug became a company member last November and danced the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in BSA’s 2021 “Nutcracker.”

Being Cinderella makes her “emotional,” said the ballerina. “It’s not just a fairytale. This show feels like it’s happening now in 2022. This story feels real.”

Agudelo agreed. Though the dancing is 100 percent classical ballet, the audience will be able to relate to the characters and story, he said.

Other dancers in significant roles are Sofie Bertolini as the stepmother; Will Robichaud as the father, and Vianca Palacios & Julia Davis as the mean stepsisters. Elaine Blank and Kaley Althhausen will portray the mother/fairy godmother.
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Performances: Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m.; Oct.15 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; and Oct. 16 at 2 p.m.; Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle; tickets $36-$117 at Tobin’s box office, by phone 210-223-8624 or tickets@tobincenter.org .