Atlanta

Alina Cojocaru was Cinderella in The Royal Ballet’s production of Cinderella. Ballets are usually performed in a theater. Bright lights shine on the dancers as they dance on stage, watched by hundreds of people. At the end, everyone claps and cheers. While some ballets are just beautiful movements set to music, others tell stories. There are no words, but if you watch and listen, they are easy to understand.

 

The costumes, scenery, dancers, and music all tell the story. It’s Christmas, and young Clara is given a nutcracker doll. She dreams that it comes to life, turns into a prince, and leads the toy soldiers under the Christmas tree into battle against the rats. After Clara helps the Nutcracker Prince win the battle, she goes on a magical journey with him through the land of snow to the Kingdom of Sweets. Snowflakes, flowers, and candy canes dance for her, but most beautiful of all is the Sugar Plum Fairy.

 

When Prince Siegfried goes to shoot a flock of swans, their queen, Odette, steps in. The swans are really girls, enchanted by the magician Rothbart. They will return to human form only if someone truly loves Odette. Siegfried pledges his love, but later he’s tricked by Odile, Rothbart’s daughter, into thinking she is Odette, and he promises to love her. When he realizes the truth, he rushes to the lake to find Odette. Vowing to be together forever, they plunge into the water. The power of their love breaks Rothbart’s spell.