cinderella

MAY 16-17
DES MOINES CIVIC CENTER

We are thrilled to announce our return to the Des Moines Civic Center with Tom Mattingly’s world premiere Cinderella. In the first ever collaboration between Ballet Des Moines and the Des Moines Symphony, audiences of all ages will be swept away by the timeless ballet classic set to Sergei Prokofiev's iconic score.

PURCHASE TICKETS NOW

Ballet Des Moines aspires to provide live captioning for our programs and events. Due to interpreter shortages throughout Iowa, American Sign Language interpretation is only available upon request. ASL and other accommodation requests can be made by emailing info@balletdesmoines.org

FEATURING

  • TOM MATTINGLY

    RESIDENT CHOREOGRAPHER

    READ BIO

  • DES MOINES SYMPHONY

    LIVE MUSIC SUPPORT FROM NIX & VIRGINIA LAURIDSEN

    LEARN MORE

  • JARED OAKS

    GUEST CONDUCTOR

    READ BIO

Act 1: Cinderella’s House & The Enchanted Forest
Following her father’s death, Cinderella is forced into servitude by her jealous stepmother, Barbarra. On Cinderella’s 18th birthday, Barbarra and her daughters, Minnie and Maxxie, are in a frenzy getting ready for the Royal Ball to be held that evening. All members of the household had been invited to attend, but Cinderella’s invitation was destroyed by Barbarra before Cinderella could see it.

The house is in a frenzy. Barbarra has spent the last of the family's money on gowns and jewels, determined to secure wealthy matches for her daughters. After the chaos of corsets and dancing lessons, the family departs in finery, leaving Cinderella alone to work and dream.

While Cinderella imagines herself dancing at the Ball, the Fairy Godmother appears, summoning the Fairies of the Four Seasons to transform Cinderella’s rags into a luminous gown and diamond shoes - she’s going to the Ball! Before Cinderella departs, the Fairy Godmother gives her a strict warning to return by the strike of midnight. As the sun sets, the Star Fairies descend and Cinderella departs for the palace in a pumpkin carriage.

Act 2: The Royal Ball
The palace dazzles. This is a world of formal elegance and unspoken rules, and Barbarra's family — arriving in loud, expensive gowns — immediately stands out for all the wrong reasons. But when Cinderella arrives, her natural elegance captivates everyone—including the Queen, who invites Cinderella to dance for the court. Meanwhile, Barbarra notices that Maxxie has caught the eye of the Prince’s companion and desperately steals a man of her own. When the Prince bestows an orange to Cinderella, she insists that the gift is given to her family instead - a gesture illustrating Cinderella’s kind heart, in spite of the way she is treated.

Cinderella and the Prince dance a grand pas de deux. Transfixed by each other, Cinderella loses track of time, until the clock strikes twelve. As the enchantment collapses, she flees, leaving a single diamond shoe behind on the palace steps.

Act 3: The Search for Cinderella
The Prince is determined to find the mysterious young woman, and sets out with his friend to search the kingdom for the shoe’s rightful owner. Back at the estate, Cinderella finds the matching slipper in her rags, confirming the night wasn't a dream. When the Prince arrives, Barbarra’s daughters fail the fitting. In a final act of malice, Barbarra throws the glittering shoe into a stew pot, but Cinderella steps forward and produces the second slipper. It fits perfectly.

As the Prince and Cinderella prepare to leave together, Cinderella extends her hand to Maxxie, inviting her to join them, while Barbarra and Minnie are left behind. The setting transforms into a celestial forest where the fairies celebrate the reunited pair. Cinderella and the Prince dance a final pas de deux, marking her transition from a life of loss to a future of belonging.

A TALE OF TWO CINDERELLAS

  • Olga Lepeshinskay

    The first ballerina to perform the title role of Cinderella was Olga Lepeshinskay. The ballet, first performed on November 21, 1945, was the first post-war show at the Bolshoi.

  • AMELIA GRUBB HILLMAN

    In addition to her 10 year career with Ballet Des Moines, Amelia has performed nationally and internationally with National Choreographer’s Initiative, English National Ballet, Richmond Ballet, the Washington Ballet, and Columbia Classical Ballet.