Kansas City Ballet Presents CINDERELLA, 5/9-18

Kansas City Ballet's 56th season will conclude with the highly anticipated evening-length Kansas City Premiere of Victoria Morgan's Cinderella. The delightful score by Sergei Prokofiev will be performed by the Kansas City Symphony, conducted by Kansas City Ballet Music Director Ramona Pansegrau.

Choreographed by Cincinnati Ballet Artistic Director Victoria Morgan, Cinderella is a buoyant, expansive three-act ballet which uses at full throttle all of the resources that Kansas City Ballet can throw at it-its full company of 28 dancers, all six of its KCB II second company dancers, plus 90 children from Kansas City Ballet School, splendid sets and richly textured costumes, and 56 Kansas City Symphony musicians in the orchestra pit. The Ballet bounces from traditional "ballroom setting" classical ballet to the hysterical romp of the two ugly sisters (performed en travesti) to the over-the-top grandiosity of the Dance Master-Cinderella is considered the world over as the most popular of the great classical ballets and provides an evening (or afternoon) of great family fun.

Dance Magazine wrote, "Cinderella is essentially a new, finely woven, and fast-paced work that is a challenge to dance and a thrill to watch." The Cincinnati Enquirer stated, "Cinderella captures the spirit of the fairy tale. ... A sweet magic is captured in Victoria Morgan's vision of the classic."

"One thing I have loved about Cinderella is the fact that it is a joy to choreograph to such amazing music," Morgan stated. "Prokofiev is simply one of those composers that ignite movement. His serious music is glorious and his silly music is cleverly unexpected and makes you laugh. And that part, both the serious and the humorous, is what is so great-it is a ballet full of extremes and breadth. The icing on the cake for me personally is that the Kauffman Center has been such a nationally talked about theatre, to have my work on that stage sounds thrilling. And, of course, Kansas City Ballet has a great national reputation."

The ballet is faithful to the beloved 1697 tale by Charles Perrault, in which the heroine's father fails to protect his daughter from the wickedness of a stepmother and two stepsisters. After the intervention of her Fairy Godmother, however, the underappreciated Cinderella is transformed into a beautiful young woman who finds love in the arms of a Prince.

"This production has very special meaning to me personally as I was thrilled to work with Victoria Morgan at Cincinnati Ballet for 10 years during my tenure as Associate Artistic Director there," KCB Artistic Director Devon Carney said. "I was honored to both assist in the staging of this production in past years as well as actually performing in it. Victoria has such a whimsical approach to her interpretation of this classic story. One which will captivate our audiences and will leave them knowing that, indeed, dreams do come true."

Cinderella Performances

May 9-18, 2014 | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts | Music performed by Kansas City Symphony

The delightful fairy tale of the young girl who unexpectedly finds true love and proves that dreams really do come true.

Cinderella Choreography: Victoria Morgan Music: Sergei Prokofiev

Fri., May 9 7:30 p.m.

Sat., May 10 7:30 p.m.

Sun., May 11 2 p.m.

Fri., May 16 7:30 p.m.

Sat., May 17 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Sun., May 18 2 p.m.

Tickets are available by calling the Ballet Box Office at 816-931-2232, online at www.kcballet.org where patrons may select their own seats, or through our mobile app which can be downloaded here: http://www.kcballet.org/newsmedia/mobile.html.

Cinderella Special Events

Cinderella Tea Party

Join Cinderella on Saturday, May 17th from 11:30 to 1:00 p.m. for a very special Cinderella Tea Party at the Baltimore Club presented by Ameriprise Financial with additional support from Rainy Day Books. Guests will park at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and be transported by coach to Prince Charming's castle at the Baltimore Club. Enjoy a light luncheon, story time with special guest Lara Moritz, a visit from Cinderella, and transportation back to the Kauffman for the 2:00 p.m. matinee performance of Cinderella. Tickets, priced at $100 each, include transportation, tea party, a special gift for every child from Rainy Day Books, and main floor seats at the matinee performance. Contact Rene Horne at 816-931-2232 x1346 to purchase tickets or order online at www.kcballet.org.

Sponsors

Kansas City Ballet's 2013-2014 season is supported in part by the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation, Hallmark Corporate Foundation, Richard and Sue Ann Fagerberg, the Missouri Arts Council, and Hotel Phillips-host hotel of Kansas City Ballet. Cinderella is sponsored by the W. T. Kemper Foundation, Commerce Bank Trustee, the Metropolitan Performing Arts Fund and Bank of Kansas City.

About Kansas City Ballet

To make Kansas City a destination for dance

Founded in 1957, Kansas City Ballet is a 28-member professional ballet company under the leadership of Artistic Director Devon Carney and Executive Director Jeffrey J. Bentley. The company's mission is to establish Kansas City Ballet as an indispensable asset in its community through exceptional performances, excellence in dance training and quality community education programs for all ages.

Kansas City Ballet is home to Kansas City Ballet School with an enrollment of more than 600 children and adults offering professional training for the career-minded student as well as for those ages 12 and up who are simply seeking a healthy lifestyle.

Through its professional company, its second company (KCB II) and its many community service programs such as Reach Out and Dance (ROAD) and DanceINFORMances we seek to nurture and develop our artists, audiences and students in the values inherent in the creativity, diversity and joy of dance.

Our home, the Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity on the campus of Union Station, in conjunction with our Resident Company status at the world-class Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts has truly positioned Kansas City as a Destination for Dance.

About the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, a new multi-venue center for music, opera, theater, and dance was designed by Moshe Safdie and opened in Kansas City in September 2011. The Kauffman Center seeks to enrich the lives of all Greater Kansas City residents by presenting vibrant performances, educational programming, and creating a tradition of the performing arts as a catalyst for Kansas City's civic, economic, and educational vitality.

Three of the region's leading performing arts organizations - Kansas City Ballet, Kansas City Symphony, and Lyric Opera of Kansas City - are performing residents at the Kauffman Center. The Center's two performance venues, the 1,600-seat Helzberg Hall and the 1,800-seat Muriel Kauffman Theatre, offer audiences engaging and intimate experiences, while at the same time providing resident companies with dramatically enhanced performance capabilities. Serving as a cultural cornerstone for Kansas City's dynamic downtown, the Kauffman Center brings a new spotlight to the region's performing arts community while simultaneously attracting some of the world's most talented performers and entertainers, further establishing Kansas City as a major cultural destination. More information on the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is available at kauffmancenter.org.