Newtown Centre of Classical Ballet & Voice (NCCB) dancers are prepared for the opening curtain of Cinderella, which they will be performing in June.

Two performances have been scheduled at Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street. They are planned for Sunday, June 9, at noon and 3 pm. Admission is free and open to the public.

NCCB Artistic Director Tori Gozzi said she and the studio’s students “love sharing these ballets with as many as can attend in keeping with our school’s philosophy of promoting artistic excellence for cultural arts education in our town.”

The ballet is suitable for all ages and runs about 60 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission.

Cinderella “is such a special ballet for me to produce because it was originally choreographed and staged by [former NCCB Artistic Director] Jennifer Cebry back in 2007, with me as Cinderella and my two best friends as the stepsisters,” Ms Gozzi said. “It’s been such a fun spring, reliving old memories.”

She and her current students have been watching old performances “and adapting the choreography for our current cast,” she said.

The NCCB dancers, who range from ages 3-10, are cast as the four elements — Earth, Wind, Fire and Water, Ms Gozzi said. Thanks to Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother, the elements offer gifts for her costume for the ball. Earth presents her with the diamonds for her necklace; water creates Cinderella’s glass slippers; fire forges her gold crown; and wind creates her royal blue tutu.

Cinderella will be portrayed by Fallyn Kirlin, a senior at Newtown High School who will be attending Colgate University’s pre-med program in the fall. Senior Kiah Liotta plays the Stepmother as well as the lead dancer of Earth.

Noel Bernard, a junior at Fairfield Prep, returns for his third production with us as the Prince. Taegan Smith, a sophomore at Newtown High School, plays the Fairy Godmother.

Other dancers of note include Kylee Raiano and Julia Finegan as the stepsisters and Kaly Naughton, Chelsea Fowler, and Annelise Raedy, who portray the leads of Water, Fire, and Wind respectively.

Ms Cebry’s version is “full of comedic moments and banter, mostly fueled by the stepsisters but infectiously spreading to other lighthearted moments throughout the show,” Ms Gozzi said. “The studio has been filled with the sounds of laughter as the dancers watch each other perform newly learned scenes and explore their own humor and acting choices to bring out the full spirit of the musical score.”

The score, she said, is “incredibly programmatic of the fairy tale content — from instruments producing the magic of the fairy godmother’s casts of her wand to producing the chimes of midnight warning Cinderella to leave the ball.”

“I’m so looking forward to sharing this with all our dancers’ families and with our community,” Ms Gozzi said. “Ballet is sometimes difficult to follow when the story lines are less specific, but with Cinderella, even the youngest children can really connect with it and understand what’s going on.”

In addition to the two shows, guests on June 9 will be invited to enjoy raffle prizes as well as snacks and other refreshments for sale to benefit the ballet performances in the community throughout the year.

For more information, visit nccballetandvoice.com or call 203-241-5362.