Jacob's Pillow Presents New York Theatre Ballet's CINDERELLA This Week

Returning to Jacob's Pillow after back-to-back appearances in the Inside/Out performance series in 2007 and 2008, New York Theatre Ballet performs the quintessential, family-friendly story ballet Cinderella in the Doris Duke Theatre this week, June 24-28.

This timeless, enchanting production, performed by the outstanding dancers of New York Theatre Ballet, is a delight for the entire family. With winning choreography by Donald Mahler, a jubilant score composed by Sergei Prokofiev, and beloved characters, this hour-long adaptation of the treasured classic is the perfect way to introduce a new generation of audience-goers to the art of dance.

"I was immediately won over by this production of Cinderella when I first saw it," says Jacob's Pillow Executive and Artistic Director Ella Baff. "It delivers all of the charm, lively dancing and costuming that we love about this classic tale and will be an especially rich and delightful experience in the intimate setting of the Doris Duke Theatre at the Pillow."

A retelling of the classic rags to riches fairytale "this rendition [of Cinderella] is appropriately colorful, brisk, orderly and polite, given its target audience" (Siobhan Burke, The New York Times). Geared toward children but an enchanting experience for all ages, New York Theatre Ballet's production features imaginative costume designs by Sylvia Taalsohn Nolan, resident costume designer of the Metropolitan Opera, and full-scale sets by Gillian Bradshaw-Smith. The performance features a dancing clock and wacky stepsisters (danced by men, as is the tradition for the ballet version of Cinderella), offering a unique and playful spin for a child's perspective.

Previously seen at the Pillow in its world premiere in 1982 (then performed by the Metropolitan Opera Ballet), Mahler's work features New York Theatre Ballet's exquisite dancers in fully realized scenes and a quickly-paced storyline. Mahler has extensive choreographic experience in creating his own works, and is a master at staging Antony Tudor's repertory on distinguished companies such as The Joffrey Ballet, Ballet West, Ballet Mississippi, American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet.