The Mid-Ohio Valley Ballet Company will present the ballet "Cinderella" at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Marietta High School auditorium.
The ballet is based on the famous fairy tale and is an original work choreographed by MOVB artistic director Suzy Gunter.
Gunter said children all over the world know and love fables and the moral lessons they teach. The natural progression of the heritage of fables serving as sources for ballet productions is apparent in many forms. The tales of famous storytellers such as Hans Christian Anderson and Charles Perrault have been transformed into many ballet, theater, movie and musical comedy productions.
Reserved seat tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for children under 16 and are available at Sugden Book Store, 282 Front St. in Marietta, and at the MOVB office at 1311 Ann St. in Parkersburg.
For information or tickets, contact the MOVB at 304-422-5538. Tickets will also be available at the door but will be box office choice only.
The MOVB production follows the classic story of "Cinderella," from her dreary and work-filled life working for her stepmother and stepsisters to her Fairy Godmother's help in getting her to the ball and the Prince's search for his true love after she must flee the ball before midnight. The ballet closes with a royal wedding.
The cast of the ballet will feature guest artist and MOVB alumnus Jason Tanner as the Prince and senior company member Leah Baker as Cinderella. The stepsisters will be portrayed by Casey Harker and Kristen Robinson, while Gunter will perform as the Stepmother.
The Fairy Godmother will be company dancer Katelyn Cobranchi, who will be joined by Emily Morris, Maria Petrella, Belle Huffman and Chelsea Cobranchi as fairies.
The company's apprentice and trainee members will be joined by 40 students from the MOVB Academy of Fine Arts to perform various children's roles in the ballet.
The MOVB is a professional nonprofit dance group that performs more than 100 concerts, lecture demonstrations and Arts In Education performances each year. The company has toured extensively throughout West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio since 1983 presenting specially produced one-hour versions of the current ballet through the "School Days Performing Arts Series."
The company will also be presenting two specially produced performances of "Cinderella" for public, private and home-schooled students at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Friday in the Marietta High School auditorium.
MOVB is funded in part by Artsbridge and the United Art Fund of Wood and Washington counties.
