Choreographed by Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet artistic director Jennifer Beasley, Cinderella returns to the stage at Jackson Academy featuring over 80 local dancers and a host of favorite guest artists. The production brings the classic fairy tale to life.
Beasley originally choreographed her version of Cinderella in 1999 for Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet’s production at the Madison Cultural Center. Through the years, the company has grown as has the ballet itself, with additional roles and dances added to accommodate the greater number of dancers involved. “All the magic and romance and the triumph of good over evil remain at the core of the ballet,” says Beasley. “Although this is the sixth time we have produced Cinderella, the ballet remains fresh. Our principal guest artists bring their own interpretation and artistry to the leading roles. The Stepmother and Stepsisters bring their humorous brand of evil, and the love between the beautiful Cinderella and her handsome Prince triumph in the end.”
Emily Carrico and Sergio Masero-Olarte, both dancers with Atlanta Ballet, will perform the roles of Cinderella and the Prince. They most recently appeared with Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet in the company’s 2020 production of The Nutcracker. Carrico hails from Lexington, Kentucky. She trained at Kentucky Ballet Theatre Academy, The HARID Conservatory and The Art of Classical Ballet. Before joining Atlanta Ballet, she danced professionally with Kentucky Ballet Theatre and Columbia City Ballet.
Masero-Olarte has previously appeared as a principal guest artist with Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet in the world premiere of Frozen Heart and in the 2017 production of Cinderella. A native of Madrid, Masero-Olarte began his training at the Real Conservatorio Profesional de Danze Mariemma. He trained on scholarship at San Francisco Ballet School before joining Ballet Memphis as a company dancer.
Appearing as the Dance Master is Oscar Fernandez of Ballet Memphis. Fernandez is from the village of Santillana de Mar of the state of Cantabria, in the North of Spain. He trained in classical, contemporary and Flamenco dance at the Real Conservatorie of Dance Mariemma in Madrid before joining San Francisco Ballet School on scholarship. He joined Ballet San Jose as a corps member in 2014 and joined Ballet Memphis in 2016. Fernandez teaches adult ballet and latin dance in the Ballet Memphis School.
The Dance Master’s patience will be tried as he attempts to instruct Cinderella’s stepsisters under the watchful eye of the stepmother. The performers appearing as Cinderella’s family all have long-standing relationships with Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet. Artistic associate and former executive director Crystal Skelton and instructor and former assistant artistic director Erik Kegler will reprise the roles of Stepmother and Stepsister, which they first performed in 2006. Among other credits, Skelton and Kegler both danced professionally with Cincinnati Ballet. Their comic antics have entertained audiences in previous productions of Cinderella and in The Nutcracker.
Joining the family as the other stepsister is Dexter Bishop. Bishop is a Clinton native and trained with Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet through high school. He graduated from Oklahoma City University and is a former principal dancer with Missouri Ballet Theatre. As a company member, Bishop danced in Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet’s first production of Cinderella in 1999. He has frequently appeared as a guest artist with Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet and has been an audience favorite as Russian in The Nutcracker.
Rounding out the list of guest artists will be George Sanders. Born in Durham, North Carolina and growing up in New York City, Sanders received his training from Ballet Academy East, The Rock School of Ballet and University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He has danced principal and soloist roles with companies such as Ballet Memphis and Carolina Ballet among others. Sanders is currently working as a free lance guest artist and instructor based in New York City.
Soloist and senior company members of Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet will hold major roles in the production. These local dancers include Madeline Page, Southern Callahan, Mari Finseth, Grace Gardner, Emily Gardner, Sophia Huang, Caroline Koski, Annalee LeDuff, Hart Maley, Emma Raush, Sydney Sanders and Rebecca Trowbridge of Madison County. Rankin County dancers include Brelyn Binkley, Anna Claire Nelson, Annalyse Binkely, Eleanora Ellis, and Hallie Young.
Performances will take place on Saturday and Sunday March 27 and 28. Performances are at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday
Tickets for the socially-distanced performances are $30-$35 and are available at www.msmetroballet.com. All audience members will be screened for COVID upon entrance to the performing arts center and will wear masks. Because of limited space in the lobby area, concessions will not be available during this performance. The Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet Guild gift shop will be open before and after each performance and during intermission. Princess accessories, locally-made jewelry and other unique items will be available.
Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet is a non-profit, pre-professional ballet company located in Madison. Company members are selected via audition from the students of the Mississippi Metropolitan Dance Academy, which has locations in Madison and Brandon. Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet offers performance and training opportunities to serious dancers, provides artistic productions of the highest quality to the community, and fosters interest in classical ballet through outreach programs throughout the metro Jackson area. Financial and in-kind support are provided by the Mississippi Arts Commission; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Gertrude Ford Foundation; Ergon; Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi; Hilton Garden Inn; Harper, Rains, Knight and Co.; and Eventful.
