The Island Youth Ballet and selected students from the Children’s Dance Conservatory are grateful to acknowledge the continued and ongoing support from the Mercer Island Community Fund. It is with great pride and appreciation that Island Youth Ballet is able to promote and offer to the greater Mercer Island community a quality production, “Excerpts from Cinderella.” This performance is one evening only, June 13, at 7 p.m., at the Mercer Island High School Performing Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased at the door. This is a must-see for those who love this story and for those who come to witness beautiful dancing and spectacle.

This ballet inspires young dancers to train and develop as performers, accommodating demanding skill levels with appropriate inventiveness for a positive youth-driven outcome. As with any work of art, though, a collaborative awareness is essential for success and fulfillment.

The timeless story of Cinderella as presented in this ballet version remains within the framework of this eternal tale. It is not unreasonable to understand difficult life experiences and the determination of the creative spirit even in these modern times. The musical score by Sergei Prokofiev, finished in 1944, remains a relevant guide for such an interpretation. The neoclassical form brilliantly provides range and depth for understanding the fairy tale. Rhythmic diversity as well as melodic dynamics present challenges choreographically, but also compel the vision that Prokofiev had for ‘his’ Cinderella. She was meant to be understood as a real person with feelings and disappointments, and she was in the end to demonstrate kindness and love.

Currently in its second season, IYB’s production of Cinderella has become complete, telling the fairy tale from beginning to end. In the beginning from an ambitious start, the story ballet concluded with the midnight waltz. Through the Community Fund support and the devoted families and students participating in this production, Cinderella now finds its way as a proper ballet to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages.

Island Youth Ballet is grateful for this opportunity to give back to the Mercer Island community through this burgeoning sophisticated performance and is very thankful for the contributions from the Mercer Island Community Fund that make this production possible.

Susan Valencia

Executive and Artistic Director

Island Youth Ballet