Kady Bell
Staff Writer

The gracefully-inspired movements of the Inland Pacific Ballet company swept the audience up and away into the magic of a well-known fairy tale during the premiere production of “Cinderella” at Bridges Auditorium in Claremont on Saturday.

Elaborately designed costumes and scenery, as well as the classical stylings of composer Johann Strauss, helped make the production even more whimsical.

The production, performed through the expressive choreography of the dancers, was true to the original story with only a few added twists and turns.

As per the time-honored version of the fairy tale, the ballet began after Cinderella, left to the wiles of her stepmother and stepsisters following her father’s death, was turned into a servant.

The deep blue stage curtains first opened to reveal a handsomely painted backdrop of a small village, the shopping center of town, in which dancers bustled amid the excitement of the forthcoming ball. In the scene, a disguised Prince Charming, played by Bryan Ketron, watched enchanted as Cinderella, played by Cheryl Sullivan, entered the makeshift plaza with her stepmother and stepsisters in tow.

Ballerinas Jennifer Friel and Sarah Spradlin accurately portrayed the stepsisters as haughty, self-involved and spoiled women, silently arguing over a pink ball gown while Cinderella slowly dragged behind, balancing a growing stack of packages.

Cinderella first managed to charm the prince with her altruistic mannerisms when she offered an apple to her magical fairy godmother, concealed as a beggar woman, who was shunned by her stepfamily and the rest of the village folk.

Keeping in line with the traditional plot, Cinderella’s one wish was to attend the ball that all eligible women were summoned to in hopes of securing a wife for the prince, but she was instead forced to see her family off, staying behind to finish an impossibly long list of chores. Fortunately, magic forces waited in the wings to whisk her off to the ball in a dazzling gold gown and sheer cape, complete with glittering jewels and glass slippers.

The stepsisters provided comic relief throughout the production, inducing laughter as they clumsily danced and attempted to attract the prince, his sidekick and dancing master.

While the sisters prepped for the ball, for example, they made a production of opening their packages, pulling on their dresses and attending to final touches.

The shorter sister, constantly in bright orange attire, stuffed leftover tissue paper down the bodice of her gown for an extra boost before smiling at the audience, picking up a mirror and madly powdering her face with an oversized puff.

A highlight of the ballet included the beggar woman’s surprising transformation into Cinderella’s fairy godmother. She emerged from the shadows of her brown hooded cape in a sparkling white satin and tulle tutu.

Musical compositions that switched from lively and bouncy to melancholy and dramatic captured the emotions conveyed onstage, as Cinderella, supposedly in a dream state, participated in a long dance sequence featuring ballerinas dressed as fairies and stars.

They seemingly glided across the stage in fluid, expert moves representative of the magic that turned Cinderella into the belle of the ball.

The scenery further swept the audience into the captivating tale, with the beautifully handcrafted and realistic carriage stealing the stage at the end of the first act, as fancy coachmen decked out in attire reminiscent of the Disney cartoon transported Cinderella to the ball.

Another highlight was the first ballroom scene due to the assortment of colorful gowns and formal evening wear that adorned the dancers posing as attendees. The stage erupted in splashes of pink, orange, blue, green and gold, among many other vibrant shades, as they engaged in rapid, waltz-like routines.

Cinderella and Prince Charming also shone in their coupled dance sequence, symbolic of the countdown to the stroke of midnight, as they performed masterfully complex lifts and twirls.

In adherence to fairy tale custom, the prince was left befuddled at the ball, with a lone glass slipper serving as his only remnant of his princess-to-be.

The scene in which the prince and his sidekick searched the village round for a matching foot to fit the slipper was a crowd favorite, drawing laughs as women lined up and attempted to shove their feet into the impractical shoe.

Magic was definitely the theme of the night, made believable by the swift moves of the fairy godmother, and a Cinderella double who ran out on cue, seemingly transforming from rags to riches before the audience’s eyes.

The cast captured the excitement and happily ever after spirit of the age-old tale, even breaking from tradition enough to allow the stepsisters to find love in the end.

Kady Bell can be reached at rzezna65@yahoo.com.