WANTED: ONE POINTY GLASS SLIPPER
The eternal appeal of Cinderella, especially as a ballerina
IT IS 2016, and everything about Cinderella is ideologically wrong. Why, today’s feminists will demand, does she need to attend a cattle parade to find a wealthy suitor so vain he assumes every gal in the land wants to marry him? Why rely on a prince to save her when she could study through the University of South Africa and get herself a job? Why marry at all? Down with patriarchy, woman!
And the lack of common sense. Couldn’t she contact social services about her stepmother? And why bother with a pumpkin coach in the age of Uber?
And yet … the world over, audiences fall in love with sweet, kind Cinderella, whether she appears on screen or on stage in her puffed sleeves and blonde up-do.
Adding to the enchantment are the mice and bird friends and a completely unfathomable but coveted fairy godmother.
The Cinderella folk tale goes back to the 16th century in the ball-and-slipper version, but possibly as far back as 7BC when in ancient Egypt a slave-marries-king story was recorded. Some accounts say it originated in China.
Cinderella, or The Little Glass Slipper, was classically told by French author Charles Perrault in 1697. Later the Brothers Grimm retold it but plucked the evil sisters’ eyes out. Grim indeed.
Some versions feature a slipper made of glass, in others it is made of gold; in some variations the glass shoe is a fur slipper, used as an odd sexual metaphor. It puts a twist on how the prince really found his dream princess.
The gathering might be a church event, not a ball, in non-secular books.
But it is the rags-to-riches tale of the charming prince and his relentless quest for his put-upon lady that captures romantic hearts.
This is the version Johannesburg will see later this month — neither dark nor depressing, and slightly Disney for mass appeal. Choreographed by Joburg Ballet’s artistic director Iain MacDonald, Cinderella The Ballet is all about the magic, with Johann Strauss’s “champagneinfused melodies”.
Andrew Botha’s glittering designs feature pumpkins and that cornflower-blue dress. The ugly stepsisters are comedic, played by male dancers in drag.
But what do the dancers make of the ballet, in a time when their art struggles for relevance and recognition, particularly in South Africa, and when even animation seeks powerful female role models?
The visiting prince from the US, dancer Owen Thorne, appreciates that the story is “simplistic”.
“She was treated badly, found a prince and lived happily ever after. The idea that true love finds a way. Everyone wants to believe that. It is as relevant in the modern story as it was when it was created,” he says.
“They call them fairytales for a reason. Real love is difficult and trying, frustrating and fascinating, maddening and fantastic. What is magical about that?
“As a dancer, it is the score, the steps, the physicality and the beauty. People can sit in the darkness and be taken away to an easy story of true love, this oversimplified version of life. We have enough reality. It is OK to not have to explain the complexities of life in dance. Especially for children.
“Yes, the prince is vain and selfish in a way, and Cinderella has a good heart, is kind and faithful. Let them worry when they need to worry, not when they are watching the ballet.”
PRIMA ballerina Burnise Silvius has pirouetted through the gamut of ballet’s female lead roles. She too believes the mission of abolishing patriarchy in society should not get in the way of the ballet experience.
“In the same way that the audience should not see how difficult the steps are, they must not think about the psychology of it,” says Silvius.
“I grew up with fairytales too, but it doesn’t affect how I think of relationships now. It does not mean that if your parents let you believe in magic and fairytales that you grow up to be a damsel in distress. No way. Women, particularly ballet dancers, know how strong and able we are.”
Eight-hour training sessions and mangled feet, including broken toes and irreparable ankles, are testimony to it.
Petite principal dancer Shannon Glover says female characters in ballet are mentally strong. “Even Cinderella has to overcome her difficulties. Then there is the feisty
‘I GREW UP WITH FAIRYTALES, BUT IT DOESN’T AFFECT HOW I THINK OF RELATIONSHIPS’
Kitri in Don Quixote.
“In Swan Lake, Odile is technically a difficult role, the transformation from a soft, elegant, beautiful creature to something dark. And Carmen is completely different . . . wild, and nearly vulgar at times. So no, ballet isn’t about women being unable.”
Glover believes that political or any other analysis should become irrelevant for those 165 minutes of ballet magic.
“Ballet is about imagination and it is important to step away from the realities of how people sometimes treat each other.
“We experience the first little touches, the excitement when the prince kisses her. We enjoy that he falls in love with her, that he sees the innocence in her. She is taken aback by his affection and that he wants to take care of her. Nobody has told her she is beautiful, before.”
Senior soloist, Kitty Phetla, who plays both fairy godmother and evil stepmother, says: “We live in a society fighting against patriarchy, yes, but even feminists, even successful women who are powerful and driven, can enjoy the tale of romance.
“This particular production also appeals to our sense of humour. The stepsisters are hilarious! Don’t forget that the theatre is a place to lose yourself.”
Some dancers do seem to be swept away by the idyllic notions in which they are immersed.
The reedy Nicole Ferreira-Dill, who will play fairy godmother and makes her solo debut as Cinderella this season, finds moral lessons in the story.
“What I admire about Cinderella is her kindness and courage. She is always kind, even to the people who are ugly to her.
“She teaches us that good things come to those who are good. That they must never give up even though they have had a terrible life.”
Jonathan Rodrigues, a Brazilian principal dancer who has been with the Johannesburg company since 2011, says Cinderella is a lesson for men and boys in how to behave towards women.
“In these days there is not a lot of romance. You can tell how romantic the prince is. Some men do live like that, but not many. Treat her like a princess — why not?
“Women do it automatically, they seem to care for their partners. I think the prince shows that men must give back. I enjoy that he falls in love the first time he sees her, then does everything to find her. That is a beautiful story.” I T is easy to get caught up in the rose-coloured narrative, says Silvius, who has danced since the age of four.
“Dancing to these stories definitely has an influence on love and romance. We would all like to believe that love conquers everything. I know in life it doesn’t always happen that way, but I still believe in it,” she says. “One of the things I love about my career is that I get to fall in love every night, even if it is pretend; you do have to experience it on stage . . . that feeling of butterflies in your tummy.”
Dancer Michael Revie says that although even teenage vampire stories are creeping into ballet, the traditional will always remain.
“Dance is historical. In the same way that Disney animations like Sleeping Beauty are redone with better graphics, the same goes for ballet.
“Every ballet lover knows the stories, from Cinderella to
Giselle . . . There is a place for contemporary, but classics are what people want to see.”
Revie, who recently injured his back and will not be able to dance in this production, says that even though characters may not evolve in the ideological sense, for dancers the roles are a rite of passage.
“There are so many strong female characters, wicked witches and fairies, the young princesses. It is important we don’t lose those stories, because for the dancers, to play lead roles, they must be technically strong.” Glover agrees: “Why I think
Cinderella or any of the female leads are positive role models, particularly in ballet, is about the discipline. It is the physical work, the musicality, coordination and matching the rhythm. Ballet works your brain and your body. That is a strong message.”
‘THE PRINCE SHOWS THAT MEN MUST GIVE BACK. THAT IS A BEAUTIFUL STORY’