The Kennedy Center to Present the San Francisco Ballet's CINDERELLA

Inspired by The Brothers Grimm and Perrault fairy tales, world-renowned San Francisco Ballet returns to the Kennedy Center with the visually stunning and magical adaption of Christopher Wheeldon's Cinderella©, October 26-30 for seven performances in the Opera House. Choreographed by the Tony Award® and two-time Olivier Award-winning British choreographer, Wheeldon and his acclaimed creative team bring this imaginative production to the stage featuring a powerful score by Sergei Prokofiev. Co-produced with the Dutch National Ballet, it made its world premiere in Amsterdam on December 13, 2012 and its U.S. premiere on May 3, 2013 with San Francisco Ballet. The Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra will accompany this production, led by conductor Martin West.

With the absence of a fairy godmother, pumpkin carriage, and a clock striking midnight, Wheeldon's Cinderella© is a fairytale for modern times-one where an empowered heroine is more in charge of her destiny. Drawn to the more serious tones of the music-a lesser known score of Prokofiev's-Wheeldon uses the darker themes of The Brothers Grimm version, centered around nature and the spirit of mother to build a production with deeper storytelling than the traditional fairy tale. Spectacular sets and costumes by Julian Crouch, ingenious puppetry by Obie Award winner and MacArthur Foundation Fellow Basil Twist, a witty libretto by Craig Lucas, lighting by Natasha Katz, and magical projections by Daniel Brodie add breathtaking visual treats including a magical tree onstage that takes animation to a grand scale.

As America's oldest professional ballet company, San Francisco Ballet has enjoyed a long and rich tradition of artistic "firsts" since its founding in 1933, including performing the first American productions of Swan Lake and Nutcracker, as well as the first 20th-century American Coppélia. San Francisco Ballet is one of the three largest ballet companies in the United States. Guided in its early years by American dance pioneers and brothers Lew, Willam, and Harold Christensen, San Francisco Ballet currently presents more than 100 performances annually, both locally and internationally. Under the direction of Helgi Tomasson, the Company has achieved an international reputation as one of the preeminent ballet companies in the world. In 2005, San Francisco Ballet won the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award in the category of "Outstanding Achievement in Dance" and in 2006, it was the first non-European company elected "Company of the Year" in Dance Europe magazine's annual readers' poll. In 2008, the Company marked its 75th anniversary with a host of initiatives including an ambitious New Works Festival. In October 2013, the Company performed at New York's David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, where The New York Times declared San Francisco Ballet "a National Treasure." 2015 marked the 30th anniversary of Helgi Tomasson's tenure as artistic director of San Francisco Ballet.

Funding Credits:

Support for Ballet at the Kennedy Center is generously provided by

Elizabeth and Michael Kojaian.

Ticket Information

Tickets start at $29. Tickets can be purchased at the Kennedy Center box office or by calling Instant Charge at (202) 467-4600. Patrons living outside the Washington metropolitan area may dial toll-free at (800) 444-1324. For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.

Performance Schedule

San Francisco Ballet in Christopher Wheeldon's Cinderella©

Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, October 27, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, October 28, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 29, 2016 at 1:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, October 30, 2016 at 1:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Photo Credit: Erik Tomasson