Island Youth Ballet presents ‘Excerpts from Cinderella’

Special to the Reporter

Island Youth Ballet (IYB) brought a touch of fairy tale elegance to the Mercer Island High School Performing Arts Center on June 14 with its production of “Excerpts from Cinderella.” The performance, presented by the Children’s Dance Conservatory, featured a cast of young dancers aged 5 to 18 and drew a full house of families, friends and community members.

Directed by Susan Valencia, the production highlighted several key scenes from the classic ballet, showcasing the technical training and expressive range of its student performers. Leading the cast were Mercer Island High School seniors Isabella Sullivan as Cinderella and Sean Kern as the evil stepmother. Both brought poise and charisma to their roles in what was their final performance with the conservatory.

The stage was brought to life with elegant costumes and imaginative props, the latter supplied by Kyoko Horiuchi-Dong. The visual design contributed to a polished and theatrical presentation that complemented the classical choreography.

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IYB, a nonprofit founded in 1998, sponsors these seasonal performances to provide high-caliber stage opportunities for students of the Children’s Dance Conservatory and for guest artists from the wider community. Committed to the traditions of classical ballet, IYB fosters excellence in both training and performance. Students from the Intermediate Foundation level onward are eligible to join the Conservatory Division, where they participate in Royal Academy of Dance (R.A.D.) exams and in IYB’s fall and spring productions.

Founded in the 1970s, the Children’s Dance Conservatory remains a longtime fixture in Mercer Island’s arts education landscape. The June 14 performance was a graceful conclusion to the spring season and a celebration of the next generation of local talent.