Charlottesville, VA – ‘Tis the season once again for bringing stories, old a new alike, to life, no words, only through movement. In September 2025, the World Ballet Company delivered a stellar performance of the classic, Cinderella to the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville, VA.
As we walked to the theater we could feel the magic in the air! Families, with daughters displaying their princess attire, were eagerly waiting to enter the theater. For many, it was their first experience with ballet, and perhaps even with Cinderella. Having captured several World Ballet Company performances, I knew they were in for treat.
As I have said many times before, the intrigue of ballet is interpreting the story with no words, only dance. Most know the story of Cinderella, so in my case it was more a matter of seeing if the dance triggered memories of my prince and princess tale youth as well as whether the dancers could bring the characters to life as I remembered them. World Ballet did not let me down.
The performance opened with Cinderella (Haruka Nomura) doing the dirty work, literally, of her stepsisters (Alexandra Morozova and Anastasiia Lebedik) and stepmother (Alina Rybakova).
Nomura’s dance and expressions told a story of a young girl’s servitude, looking for a day when she would find her prince. Of course, one day her prince would come, but while in the confines of her stepmother’s home, the prince of her dreams greatly resembled a broom. The comic relief, in a sad sort of way, came in the form of the steps. Morozova, Lebedik, and Rybakov did a wonderful job portraying the antics of the evil, ego laden, step family. Their treatment was not only directed at Cinderella, but it also came out as they competed with themselves. They too, pining for their prince to come. Of course, they thought they had the upper hand.
Imagine the celebration when they received the invitation to the Prince’s grand ball. Of course, he would choose his life mate. Cinderella left out, destined to serve and obey. Of course, we know how the story goes, the fairy godmother (Sophia Sheahan), giving Cinderella hope… and a ticket to the ball! In a dance of joy, Nomura transforms from rags to a beautiful dress, whisked to the ball in a carriage worthy of a queen.
Cinderella Gallery 1
As the ball kicks off, all are dancing and celebrating as they await the arrival of the prince (Igor Leushin). The competition between the steps was a lot of fun to watch, especially in the middle of such a formal gathering. As the prince entered, with all the princely fanfare, those vying for his heart did a celebratory corps de ballet. Leushin’s leaps and spins (pardon me if not applying the proper ballet lexicon… it was just awesome) left the corps gasping!
Enter the mystery guest, you know who (but no one else did), Cinderella. Arriving to great fanfare, a hush fell about the ballroom. The prince was in awe, it was love at first sight. Nomura and Leushin’s Pas de Deux was absolutely perfect, a dance of love, under the stars. The spell had been cast, much to the dismay of the steps and all the other ladies in waiting. The prince had found his mate… or had he.
All things must come to an end, as the clock struck 12 (another corps de ballet), the night was over. His love fled, the only clue was a shoe… or a slipper. When the steps returned home, with no life mate to speak of, they returned to their old ways with Cinderella. Little did they know that Cinderella had a secret… and a slipper the prince would soon search for.
I had to love the competition for the prince’s shoe. As he searched far and wide for his true love, none had the foot that had once worn the slipper. In a fit of fun desperation, the sisters were willing to use an oversized scissors to cut their feet to size, fit the slipper, and marry the prince. Their plan failed when Cinderella emerged, the slipper fit, and as we all know, she produced the other. Love was in the air, destiny… with the help of a fairy godmother, was fulfilled.
It was an amazing night! To see the story of Cinderella unfold without words… but just as I remember. World Ballet Company’s performance brought the tale to life, bringing the joy of the story to a new audience. Just as a side note, World Ballet Company is a touring company that delivers this and stories like this to communities that do not have a large ballet company. It delivers the beauty of ballet to the masses. This is the third World Ballet Company performance I have covered for the magazine. I learn something new every time. Ballet certainly brings wonderful stories to life in a beautiful way!
Cinderella Gallery 2
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Check out the trailer for Cinderella below:
Cinderella Main Cast
Cinderella – Haruka Nomura
Prince – Igor Leushin
Stepmother – Alina Rybakova
Stepsister – Alexandra Morozova
Stepsister – Anastasiia Lebedik
Fairy Godmother – Sophia Sheahan
Find the full cast HERE
Show Date: September 26, 2025
