PRESS RELEASE
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS
COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AND COMMUNICATION
April 4, 2011
CONTACT: Jerry Biebesheimer, (501) 450‐3682; jerryb@uca.edu
RUSSIAN NATIONAL BALLET BRINGS CINDERELLA TO REYNOLDS
By Chelsea Stockdale
College of Fine Arts and Communication Media Office
CONWAY — UCA Public Appearances “Night-Out Series” concludes with the Russian National Ballet’s performance of Cinderella at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, in the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall on the University of Central Arkansas campus.
The classic tale of Cinderella will reenact the rags-to-riches story of a girl who comes from nothing and eventually has her dreams come true after falling in love with her prince charming. This however, does not come easily as she faces challenges of her evil stepmother and stepsisters. The story will be told with Prokofiev’s lyrical music and gorgeous costumes to entertain the audience.
“To be able to get the people who created this whole thing and to have the traditions that go back to the day it had begun come here and do their shows is really fun and exciting,” Director of Public Appearances Jerry Biebesheimer said.
The Russian National Ballet Theatre was founded in the late 1980s in Moscow. Legendary Bolshoi principal dancer Elena Radchenko founded the company, which focuses on the national tradition of the major Russian ballet works. The dance company incorporates graduates from Russian choreographic schools in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Perm.
Radchenko and her developing new talents have recreated a repertory of all great works of Petipa such as The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker. With 50 dancers, including a large corps de ballet and Russian soloists, Cinderella will bring the beloved childhood fairy tale to life.
“It’s a fun way to end the year with something as exciting and different from anything else we do,” Biebesheimer said. “What these performers are physically able to do is just amazing. It’s an art form but it’s also a sport. They’re tremendous athletes as well as artists.”
According to the Washington Post, “The Russian National Ballet Theatre is a cut above many of its rivals.”
Tickets, available at the UCA Ticket Central Box Office, are $30-$40 for adults, $27-$37 for senior citizens, $25-35 for UCA alumni, $28-$33 for UCA faculty and staff, and $10 for students. For tickets, call (501) 450-3265 or toll free from anywhere in Arkansas at 1-866-810-0012, Monday–Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. or visit www.uca.edu/tickets.
For more information about tickets, contact Biebesheimer at (501) 450-3682 or jerryb@uca.edu.
