BWW Reviews: New York Theater Ballet's CINDERELLA at Florence Gould Hall

New York Theater Ballet (NTYB) presented Cinderella on February 8, 2015 as one of their innovative one-hour ballets for children. Although NYTB's production moved swiftly along to keep the children's attention, the timeless story of Cinderella still effortlessly shined through. Donald Mahler's choreography and Gillian Bradshaw-Smith's set design allowed the classic characters of an orphaned young girl, a cruel stepmother, wacky stepsisters and a magical fairy godmother to come to life from rags to riches.

With the focus on a young audience, this ballet was split into three comprehensible scenes with clean, easy to follow transitions. The custom scenery and backdrop was made up of simple yet magical pieces to differentiate Cinderella's house, the royal palace, and the starry sky, all created with cartoon-esque designs that moved freely across the stage.

The first scene introduced us to Cinderella and her quirky stepfamily. Elena Zahlmann, who played the main character of Cinderella, did not hold back any display of strength or technique through her movement, and as a result, gave a beautiful show to all ages in the crowd. Cinderella's two stepsisters, played by Mitchell Kiby and Michael Wells, easily entertained the crowd through their over the top wardrobes, bold makeup and dramatic yet strategic and humorous dance moves geared to their youthful audience.

The enchanting fairy godmother, danced by Amanda Treiber, brought a sense of grace and magic to the stage for both the children and the adults. The fairy godmother and her accompanying fairies moved flawlessly through their pirouettes and leaps, paving the way for Cinderella and the prince's romantic pas de deux. Zahlmann and her prince, played by Steven Melendez, executed their entrée, adagio and lifts perfectly, making everyone in the crowd forget that they were indeed not in the balcony of the Lincoln Center, but instead viewing a fairytale in part of a series for children at Florence Gould Hall.

NYTB offers these hour-long ballets tailored to a young audience annually, each with high production values that keep parents entertained, too. Their desire to help children understand these performances and messages shows their true appreciation of dance and theater. NYTB is also committed to reaching underserved audiences by performing in small cities, and offering classes and performances at affordable prices.

Catch their next children's show in their Once Upon a Ballet Series, GOOSE!, on March 7th and 8th at Florence Gould Hall: http://www.nytb.org/calendar-and-tickets/view/GOOSE/

Photo Courtesy of NYTB

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