Chicago Ballet Company’s Cinderella is A Family Favorite That Delights on May 18, 2024
“electric” and “echoing with audiences of all ages.” - The Huffington Post
The family favorite, done only as A&A Ballet can, returns to the Chicago stage for the first time in six years. This unique performance and take on the fairy tale is colorful, bright and fun, and features Asian American Tatiana Chen (Naperville) as Cinderella and welcomes A&A Ballet and Joffrey Ballet veteran, Amber Neumann, back as Stepmother. The pair are supported by a diverse, international cast.
The Cinderella we know, and love can be traced to the French story Cendrillon, first published in 1697 by Charles Perrault, though Chinese and Greek versions of this classic tale go back to the 9th century CE and 6th century BCE, respectively.
The story revolves around a beautiful young girl who is mistreated by her cruel stepmother and jealous stepsisters who nickname her Cinderella. With the aid of animal friends and the enchantments of a fairy godmother, Cinderella is able to attend a royal ball, where she has until the final stroke of midnight to win the heart of Prince Charming.
In this fantastical rendition, A&A Ballet offers audiences a modern take on the classic story with vibrant costumes and characters and dynamic choreography.
A&A Ballet performed "Cinderella" at “Festival International Bravissimo” taking place in Guatemala City at the Auditorium Juan Bautista Gutiérrez theater.
Performed in Chicago in 2012, by The Joffrey Academy, Kremnev’s fascinating “Cinderella” sold out to an exhilarated crowd, with his choreography celebrated by The Huffington Post as “electric” and “echoing with audiences of all ages.” BTS Celebs describes the enchanting production as “a masterpiece, a joy from start to finish.”
Kremnev, a Bolshoi trained dancer and former Founding Artistic Director of The Joffrey Academy and The Joffrey Studio Company, defines his choreography as “joyful and accessible” and adds that it is “a contrast to the dark seriousness that pervades so much of today’s ballet.”
Tatiana Chen (Cinderella), 16 of Naperville, was born in the U.S. but her father is from Fujian, China. She was the first Asian American to perform the role of Sugar Plum Fairy in the Art Deco Nutcracker in 2023.
Jasper Keck, (Prince), 19 Niles, MI and 2024 YAGP NY Finalist will dance the role of Prince in Cinderella.
Amber Neumann (Stepmother), 33, Niles, MI native and now Chicago resident. Long time student of A&A founders Alexei Kremnev and Anna Reznik, and the first ever student of Joffrey Academy who became a professional dancer with the Joffrey Ballet, Amber danced as Cinderella in the original performance in 2007. She returns for the 2024 performance as Stepmother in A&A Ballet’s modern rendition. She was a leading artist with the Joffrey between 2010-2016 and later worked in Germany as a dancer and a ballet mistress.
Supporting cast members hail from around the world - Multiple dancers of various nationalities from Guatemala, Mexico, Belarus, Switzerland, Japan, China, Canada.
Performance Dates:
Saturday, May 18, 2024 3:00 p.m. All ages. 80 minutes with intermission.
Where: Athenaeum Theater, 2936 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago, IL
Tickets: $22.00-59.00 available here
Who: Ballet company, A&A Ballet, was founded in 2016 by Alexei Kremnev and Anna Reznik. Both are distinguished dancers with experience as former Founding Artistic Directors of the Joffrey Academy of Dance and the Joffrey Studio Company. “The Art Deco Nutcracker” is Kremnev's 11 full-length ballet. His work has been presented at the world-renowned Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Lincoln Center in New York, and the Opernhaus Zurich in Switzerland, among other prestigious venues across the globe. Both Kremnev and Reznik have been recognized as Influential People in the Arts in Cincinnati and have received multiple awards for their leadership.
Additional Information:
312/545-2142
About A&A Ballet
A&A Ballet is based in Chicago's state-of-the-art A&A Ballet Center for Dance and is devoted to training in strong, versatile dance techniques, as well as the development of personality, independence and artistry. Led by internationally acclaimed artists and former Founding Artistic Directors of the Joffrey Academy and Joffrey Studio Company, Anna Reznik and Alexei Kremnev, A&A offers a wide variety of classes, professional performance opportunities, private instruction, choreography and training for dancers ranging from age 3 to adult. To date, A&A students have secured more than 150 full scholarships and multiple company, apprentice and studio company positions with powerhouses including American Ballet Theater, Royal Danish Ballet, Boston Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet, Houston Ballet, Princess Grace Academy of Monaco, Bolshoi Ballet, Colorado Ballet, BalletMet and Sarasota Ballet. For more information visit www.aacenterfordance.org or call 312/545-2142.
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