Boston Ballet principal dancer Seo Hye Han dreamed of dancing the role of Cinderella as a young student. Han would repeatedly replay footage of legends performing in the British choreographer Frederick Ashton’s 1948 reimagining of Sergei Prokofiev’s classic score.
“I watched it a lot,” Han told the Herald. “I knew one day I wanted to be a Cinderella because (the dancers) were just amazing.”
For fellow company principal Lia Cirio, seeing “The Nutcracker” hooked her. She wasn’t aware of Ashton’s version of fairy tale until she joined the Boston Ballet. .
“The ballet wasn’t part of my childhood,” Cirio said. “Of course I loved the Disney version and the Brandy ‘Cinderella,’ that’s pretty iconic.”
Turns out, there are a lot of iconic Cinderellas — and both Han and Cirio will have their chance to put their mark on the character when the Boston Ballet performs “Cinderella” from March 14 – March 24 at the Citizens Bank Opera House. The story has run through the Roman Empire, renaissance Italy, the Brothers Grimm, Russian and English ballets, Disney, Broadway, and Brandy. Being nearly universal makes this production a perfect second step to take if you’ve fallen for “The Nutcracker” and are looking to dive deeper into the art form.
“There are so many magical moments in this ‘Cinderella’ that are similar to ‘The Nutcracker,’” Cirio said. “And because it’s a familiar story, it’s great for kids, but it’s also a great segue to spur people on to want to see more, like our ‘Raymonda’ or Kylián’s ‘Bella.’”
While there are diverse takes on the myth, Ashton’s vision of the character is very specific — the choreographer outlined exact arm positions, precise leg heights for arabesques. But Han and Cirio find ways to make the role their own.
“It’s a magical fairytale, it’s not real, but I have to make the audience believe that this is a real story,” Han said. Then she added with a laugh: “I always think about how I have to blink my eyes. I have to blink my eyes like a princess.”
Cirio says she enjoys the character work as much as the dancing.
“The first act is all about the acting, about embodying who Cinderella is,” Cirio said. “My favorite part of doing classical story ballets is the acting. We think of Cinderella only as a fairy tale where she gets rescued by the prince. But she is deeper than that, and this version really shows how pure of heart she is.”
Cirio and Han revel in the fact that Boston Ballet is so committed to a wide repertoire. Between the classics, the company slots modern gems and sometimes radical new works. Han loves Helen Pickett’s “Petal,” part of the recent Winter Experience program. Cirio looks forward to Kylián’s “Bella,” which will be performed during May’s Spring Experience. But right now, the two are happy to take on one of ballet’s, one of the world’s, most legendary characters.
“(Artistic director) Mikko (Nissinen) has conditioned us to be versatile,” Cirio said. “He’s conditioned us to go from a Cinderella rehearsal to a Forsythe rehearsal to a Kylián rehearsal, classical to all the modern stuff.”
For tickets and details, visit bostonballet.org
