By Jayne Smeulders
With Les Grands Ballets Orchestra
Dive back into your childhood with a ballet! Let yourself be carried away by the magic of Cinderella, the wonderful centuries-old fairy tale. Between her cruel stepmother and two selfish and vain stepsisters, poor Cinderella has a hard life. And yet: thanks to the divine Fairy Godmother, her fate will change forever.
Cinderella is Jayne Smeulders’ first full-length ballet, choreographed in 2011 when she was a Principal Dancer with the West Australian Ballet. She decided to tackle this classical piece from the repertoire, inspired by the Brothers Grimm’s tale. Prokofiev’s partition is used in its entirety, leading perfectly the classical ballet choreography, and is complemented by an extract from the composer’s "Classical Symphony".
With Les Grands Ballets, Cinderella is set in a fantastic and timeless realm, thanks to glittering new sets and costumes designed and crafted in Montreal. Some roles have been created specially for the company’s dancers, to bring even more magic to the scenes in the enchanted garden. This beautiful ballet on pointe is a delight for the whole family.
“This version of the ballet Cinderella [...] is elegant, moving… and often hilarious. It's not every night that we witness a true fairy tale.”
– Marie Tison, La Presse
“Visually, it’s a great success.”
– Katerine Verebely, Dessine-moi un matin, Ici Première
“A journey where beauty, magic and pure emotion intertwine.”
– Izabelle Bernier, Narcity
Our orchestra features 43 musicians and soloists of the highest calibre, and has been playing a major role in the success of Les Grands Ballets for more than 30 years.
Together, let’s build a creative and daring repertoire! Supporting the creation of Cinderella allows Les Grands Ballets to develop its repertoire while also giving young people in need an opportunity to experience a truly beautiful and inspirational moment.
Prologue
The burial of Cinderella's Mother
The family gathers as young Cinderella leaves a lily on her mother's grave.
ACT I
ln the House of Cinderella's Father - ten years later
Ten years have passed since the death of Cinderella's Mother, and Cinderella has grown into a beautiful young woman, humble and pure of heart. Although fair of face, her stepsisters are vile and black of heart.
Full of grief and regret, Cinderella's father sits by the fire, oblivious to his stepdaughters as they mercilessly tease poor Cinderella.
Cinderella's stepmother enters with an invitation to a grand ball at the Royal Palace, at which it is hoped that the young Prince Charming will choose a bride. As the two stepsisters and stepmother leave to prepare for the ball, Cinderella is left alone to dream of a better life.
Cinderella finds comfort in the memories of her mother and dances. She unearths an old photograph of her mother and reminisces of a happier time.
Moved by the sight of his daughter and inspired by the memory of his first wife, Cinderella's father presents her with a beautiful old gown and slippers that once belonged to her mother. The moment is ruined when the stepsisters return.
Cinderella and her mother - ten years prior
Leaning on a lovely bird cage, young Cinderella listens to her mother as she tells a story of three magical birds: Hope, Faith, and Charity. She tells Cinderella always to be good and kind, to have hope, keep faith and be charitable.
ln the House of Cinderella's Father - the day of the Royal Ball
Cinderella's father and stepmother arrive with ball gowns and jewels for the two stepsisters, but nothing for Cinderella. As the stepsisters' anticipation grows, a Dancing Master arrives to give them a lesson before the ball. Later, in their excitement, the stepsisters fight over which dress to wear and tear Cinderella's Mother's gown in half. The stepsisters depart amidst peals of laughter, and Cinderella sits alone, crying and distraught. Again, she takes comfort in the memories of her mother, and her heart is uplifted. Suddenly, an exquisite Fairy Godmother appears. She reminds Cinderella of her mother's counsel to always be good and kind; to have hope, keep faith and be charitable. At that moment, the magical birds of Hope, Faith and Charity appear, and Cinderella is taken to an enchanted garden full of magic. In the garden, the birds offer Cinderella a beautiful gown and crystal slippers to wear to the ball. The Fairy Godmother warns Cinderella that she must leave before midnight as the spell will be broken, and she will return to rags. Cinderella is escorted by the birds onto a magnificent coach and swept away to the Royal Palace.
ACT II
The Royal Palace
Cinderella arrives at the grand ball, where the festivities have already begun and the guests are dancing. Among them, we notice the Prince’s two young brothers. Prince Charming arrives and is presented to the court before the young ladies of the kingdom are introduced. Cinderella's ambitious stepmother attempts to direct the prince's attention towards her two daughters.
During the evening, The King and Queen ask the Prince if he has found his betrothed, but not yet. Just as the stepsister sare trying in vain to capture the prince's attention, Cinderella makes her arrival. The prince is immediately captivated by her beauty, as is every other gentleman. He barely even notices the stepsisters. No one knows who the mysterious girl is, not even Cinderella's step-family. Cinderella and the prince dance away the evening together, and Cinderella forgets all about the midnight deadline. As the clock begins to chime twelve o'clock, she suddenly realizes she must go before the spell is broken. She hurries out of the ball and, in her haste, loses a slipper. The prince rushes after her but is left alone with the slipper. He vows to find and marry the woman to whom it belongs.
The Prince's Travels
The prince, in despair, roams the kingdom in search of Cinderella. His younger brothers do their best to console him, to no avail. The Fairy Godmother appears and directs his search towards Cinderella's house.
ln the House of Cinderella's Father
The day after the ball, Cinderella remembers her magical evening as if it were a dream. She hastily hides the remaining slipper in her bird cage. Before long, she is brought back to reality by the return of her stepmother and two stepsisters.
The prince arrives in search of the owner of the crystal slipper and is welcomed eagerly by the family. The stepsisters try in desperation to force their feet into the slipper but do not succeed.
In the commotion that follows and not a moment too soon, Cinderella's father reveals the identity of the slipper's real owner. The prince is overjoyed to finally find his true love.
The Fairy Godmother appears, accompanied by the magical birds. In a last dance with the father, she transforms Cinderella once more. The beauty is guided to the palace and can now join her Prince Charming. In a passionate pas de deux, they rise into the night, lifted on the wings of their newfound love.
Latest update made on March 22, 2023. Cast is subject to change up until the start of the performance.
Cinderella Rachele Buriassi (September 8 at 8 p.m.) Anna Ishii (September 9 and 10 at 2 p.m.) Aurora De Mori (September 9 at 8 p.m.)
The Stepsister, Isabella
Vanesa G.R. Montoya (September 8 at 8 p.m.)
Kiara Flavin (September 9 and 10 at 2 p.m.)
Tetyana Martyanova (September 9 at 8 p.m.)
The Stepsister, Anastasia Anya Nesvitaylo (September 8 at 8 p.m.) Kiara DeNae Felder (September 9 and 10 at 2 p.m.) Emma Garau Cima (September 9 at 8 p.m.)
The Stepmother, Mariella Sahra Maira (All performances)
The Father, Edouard Felixovich Morante (September 8 and 9 at 8 p.m.) Graeme Fuhrman (September 9 and 10 at 2 p.m.)
The Mother and Fairy Godmother Maude Sabourin (September 8 and 9 at 8 p.m.) Anya Nesvitaylo (September 9 and 10 at 2 p.m.)
Young Cinderella Rose-Marie Brousseau (September 8 at 8 p.m.) Keylana Shanski (September 9 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., September 10 at 2 p.m.)
Young Isabella Alice Clément (September 8 at 8 p.m.) Rose-Marie Brousseau (September 9 and 10 at 2 p.m.) Jeanne Vigneau (September 9 at 8 p.m.)
Young Anastasia Jeanne Vigneau (September 8 at 8 p.m., September 9 and 10 at 2 p.m.) Alice Clément (September 9 at 8 p.m.)
Garden Fairy #1 Katja Onyshchenko (All performances)
Garden Fairy #2 Anja Kalashnykova (All performances) Dance Master Graeme Fuhrman (September 8 and 9 at 8 p.m.) James Lyttle (September 9 and 10 at 2 p.m.)
Jeweller André Santos (September 8 and 9 at 8 p.m.) Bernard Dubois II (September 9 and 10 at 2 p.m.)
Faith (orange bird) Hamilton Nieh (September 8 and 9 at 8 p.m.) Antoine Benjamin Bertran (September 9 and 10 at 2 p.m.)
Hope (green bird) Angel Vizcaino (September 8 at 8 p.m.) François Gagné (September 9 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.) Théodore Poubeau (September 10 at 2 p.m.)
Charity (yellow bird) José Carlos Losada Morales (September 8 at 8 p.m. and September 9 at 2 p.m.) Christian Pforr (September 9 at 8 p.m. And September 10 at 2 p.m.)
Love birds Kiara Felder et James Lyttle (September 8 at 8 p.m.) Sahra Maira et Thomas Leprohon (September 9 at 2 p.m.) Tetyana Martyanova et Felixovich Morante (September 9 at 8 p.m.) Sarah Branch et Thomas Leprohon (September 10 at 2 p.m.)
Nymphs Alexandra Eccles, Carrigan MacDonald, Maude Fleury, Calista Shepheard, Sofia Gonzales (All performances) Tatiana Lerebours (September 8 at 8 p.m. and September 10 at 2 p.m.) Rose Trahan (September 9 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.)
Unicorns Oscar Lambert, Benjamin Poirier, Bernardo Betancor, Étienne Delorme (All performances) Antoine Bertran (September 8 and 9 at 8 p.m.) Felixovich Morante (September 9 and 10 at 2 p.m.) Théodore Poubeau (September 8 at 8 p.m., September 9 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.) Christian Scifo (September 10 at 2 p.m.)
Cinderella’s double
Naïma Picotte (All performances)
Prince Charming
Roddy Doble (September 8 and 9 at 8 p.m.)
Célestin Boutin (September 9 and 10 at 2 p.m.)
Prince Charming’s brother, Christophe
André Santos (September 8 and 9 at 8 p.m.)
Angel Vizcaino (September 9 and 10 at 2 p.m.)
Prince Charming’s brother, Jonas
Christian Pforr (All performances)
King Roberto
Andrew Giday (All performances)
Queen Catherine
Anne Dryburgh (All performances)
Faith (orange bird)
Hamilton Nieh (September 8 and 9 at 8 p.m.)
Antoine Benjamin Bertran (September 9 and 10 at 2 p.m.)
Hope (green bird)
Angel Vizcaino (September 8 at 8 p.m.)
François Gagné (September 9 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., September 10 at 2 p.m.)
Charity (yellow bird)
José Carlos Losada Morales (All performances)
Female ball guests
Maude Fleury, Carrigan MacDonald, Rose Trahan, Sarah Branch, Calista Shepheard, Alexandra Eccles, Anaïs Roy (All performances)
Tatiana Lerebours (September 8 and 9 at 8 p.m.)
Tuesday Rain Leduc (September 9 and 10 at 2 p.m.)
Male ball guests
Oscar Lambert, Bernardo Betancor, Bernard Dubois, Théodore Poubeau, Étienne Delorme, Antoine Bertran (All performances)
Violins I
Veronica Thomas, solo
Céline Arcand, associate
Pascale Frenette
Daniel Godin
Élise Lortie
Frédéric Lefebvre
Émilie Rabaraona
Jean Ai Seow
Line Deneault
Félix Savignac
Violins II
Marie-Josée Arpin, solo
Solange Bouchard
Ragnhild Hettema
Natalia Kononova
Anne Saint-Cyr
Josiane Breault
Marie-Claude Massé
Daphnée Sincennes Richard
Altos
Catherine Arsenault, solo
Bojana Milinov, assistant
Élisa Boudreau
Mihaela Tistu
Martine Gagné
François Vallières
Cellos
Catherine Perron, solo
Jeanne de Chantal Marcil
Carla Antoun
Annie Gadbois
Monika Risi
Laurence Leclerc
Double basses
Marc Denis, solo
Denis Chabot
Richard Capolla
Pierre Pépin
Flutes
Ariane Brisson, solo
Josée Poirier
Jean-Philippe Tanguay + piccolo
Oboes
Kirsten Zander, solo
Andréanne Chartier-Labrecque
David Jomphe, ca
Clarinets
Zaven Zakarian, solo
Martin Carpentier
François Martel, bass
Bassoons
Lise Millet, solo
Françoise Henri
Carmelle Préfontaine, contra
Horns
Jocelyn Veilleux, solo
Maude Lussier
Laurence Latreille Gagné
Lyne Santamaria
Trumpets
Benjamin Raymond, solo
Tazmyn Eddy
Aura West
Trombones
Martin Ringuette, solo
Sébastien Côté
Hugo Bégin, basse
Tuba
Scott Cheyne, solo
Timbal
François St-Jean, solo
Percussion
Robert Slapcoff, solo
Catherine Meunier
Léo Guiollot
Alexandre Nantel
Harp
Annabelle Renzo, solo
Celesta
Rosalie Asselin, solo
Personnel Manager
Richard Capolla
ABOUT THE SHOW
Duration
Act I : 45 minutes
Intermission : 20 minutes
Act II : 60 minutes
LES GRANDS BALLETS
Les Grands Ballets workshop
Head of wardrobe: Mélanie Ferrero
Assistant-Head Wardrobe: Louisanne Lamarre
Wardrobe clerk: Christelle Deforceville
Buyer: Julie Pelletier
Project manager - Wardrobe: Marie-Hélène Gravel
Main Cutter: Keli Alexandre
First-Assistant-Cutter: Jessica Meghan Marcotte
Wardrobe Assistant: Emilie Tremblay Lévesque
Interim Wardrobe Assistant: Eve Plamondon
Cutters-Seamsters: Daniel Baudet, Sebastian Bravo, Mari-Philippe Comeau
Seamstresses: Michèle Gagné, Eve Boisvert, Anabel Caron, Cecilia Meza, Isabelle St-Gelais, Hélène Falardeau, Zeina Khalife, Yeelen Stanislas, Anne-Marie Rostaing, Olena Shkoda, Camille Lefresne, Agathe Baudry, Ange Bledja Kouassi, Slimane Henni, Silvana Fernandez, Francine Viens, Natalie Talbot
External artisans
Wig designer: Stephane Scotto Di Cesare
Hat maker: Lyne Beaulieu
Textile artist: Valérie Delacroix
Textile artist: Katherine Paré
Head Hair Dresser: Stéphanie Bourgault
Hair Dresser: Ivana Gentile
Makeup Designer: Sarah Ladouceur
Makeup artist: Audrey Toulouse
Costume props: Faustine Berthet
Atelier Dominique Dubé
Cutter: Michel Savoie
Seamsters and seamstresses: Cesar Taibo, Marie-Claude Jalbert, Georges Michael Fanfan, Midori Smith-Wong, Salma Bensaifi, Evelyne Dupuis, Martine Dubé, Carole Larivière
Atelier Julie Sauriol
Cutter: Julie Sauriol
Seamstresses: Cyrille Brin-Delisle, Catherine Veri, Marion Taillard-Carrez
Construction des décors réalisée par Les Productions Yves Nicol inc.
Directeur des opérations: Patrick Perrin
Chargé de projet: Pierre Dufour
Chef Menuisier: Laurent Rivard
Chef Soudeur : Yannick Théroux-Lavallée
Département Artistique: Jonathan Charland, Bruno Rathbone
Menuisiers : Corentin Jacotot, Israël Dubé, Guillaume Lienard, Lilian Gourbin, Tiphaine Rondenay, Alexandre Bélanger
Soudeur : Ian Gravelle, Christopher Esquivel-Lemus
Peintres: Mélanie Oliveira de Castro, Dara Bissonnette, Gantulga Temendemberel, Audrée Villeneuve, Daniel Gutiérrez-Galicia, Sati Trépanier, Cécile Ostrowski Dahmane
Dessins: Georges Papachristou, Yifan Xu
Atelier Ovation Inc.
Directeur d'atelier : René Ross
Directrice administrative : Doris Ritchie
Chef soudeur: Tyson Ritchie Ross
Adjointe à la direction d'atelier et dessinatrice Catherine Moisan
Dessinateur et programmeur CNC Sylvain Paré
Soudeur : Riley Small Casey
Ébéniste: Jean-François Charette, Juan-Carlos Enriquez Molina
Menuisiers: Jean-Claude Richard, Sarah Éléonor Lamontage
Chef peintre: Frédérick Ouellet
Commissionnaire: David Ritchie
Techniciens et habilleurs, Membres IATSE, local 56 et 863
