SIDNEY — Everyone’s favorite fairy tale will come to life through the magic of dance when the Sidney Dance Company presents the ballet, “Cinderella,” Jan. 13-15, in the Sidney High School auditorium, 1215 Campbell Road.
Tickets cost $12 for adults, $8 for students, if purchased in advance at the Raise the Roof for the Arts office, 120B W. Poplar St. At the door, tickets will cost $15 for adults, $12 for students.
Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 13 and Jan. 14; and 2 p.m., Jan. 14 and Jan. 15.
A guided backstage tour and opportunity for pictures with the cast will immediately follow the 2 p.m. performance, Jan. 14. Tickets for “Meet Cinderella and Friends” cost $5 in advance, $7 at the door.
Choreographer and Sidney Dance Company Artistic Director Sharon Eikenberry, of Sidney, said that the dance troupe has not performed “Cinderella” for at least 10 years. She decided 2017 was the year to bring it back because “I had the cast to do it,” she said.
While the company and students in Sharon’s School of Dance in Sidney, which Eikenberry runs, comprise most of the cast, she had to look outside Sidney to find someone to dance the role of the prince.
“A friend suggested that I coordinate with Stivers School of the Arts (in Dayton),” Eikenberry said. That’s where she found Sasha Casada, who is billed as a guest artist.
“He just finished dancing the mouse part in Dayton Ballet’s ‘Nutcracker,’” Eikenberry noted.
Company member Aliya Sharp, daughter of Karen and Dean Sharp, of Sidney, will dance the title role. In previous productions, she has danced the snow queen and Harlequin in “The Nutcracker,” the Spanish doll in “Coppelia,” a 1930s number in “Dancing through the Decades,” and has acted as Pinocchio in “Shrek” and as Joe in “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
Carrying the lead role in this ballet is different, she said.
“I have a lot more responsibility. It’s very demanding physically and mentally. Having to work with a partner — that’s difficult because you have to be aware of not only yourself, but (of) him, too,” she said.
Eikenberry acknowledged that the choreography is not easy.
“They’ve all been given choreography that’s been more difficult than what they’re used to. But that’s OK. It raises the bar on these kids,” she noted. She has created a piece that has quite a lot of comedy in it, as well as romance.
“I love comedy in ballets,” she said. “Between the stepsisters and the pages, this one is quite fun.”
Kiris Fox, daughter of Claudia and Shawn Fox, of Sidney, dances one of the stepsisters.
“There’s a lot of silly acting and weird dancing. (Eikenberry) just gives us the choreography and tells us what character she wants and lets us go off and do it. Then she tells us if she doesn’t like it,” Fox said. “In Act III, when we get to throw a tantrum, we have to imitate crying and we can laugh while we’re crying. I have a lot of fun doing that part.”
Jennifer Feree, daughter of Eileen and Marc Feree, of Sidney, plays the fairy godmother.
“My favorite part is transforming from the old lady into the fairy godmother. I change costumes onstage,” she said. Feree appreciates the individual attention Eikenberry has given cast members.
“She’s been giving us ways to make it look better and to do it better and to help us,” Feree said.
Eikenberry, who has been teaching dance for 36 years, noted that performing a three-act ballet is something most student dancers don’t have the opportunity to do.
“They always feel such accomplishment,” she said. “They have that feeling of, ‘I did it!’”
The following dancers will appear in “Cinderella”: Tiffany Behr, Jennifer Ferree, Kiris Fox, Ella Gover, Mariana Kellner, Paige Mihalick, McKensie Osborne, Aliya Sharp, Elizabeth Shaw, Anika Arcikauskas, Margaret Bensman, Brianna Brewer, Faith Clinton, Naomi Fleming, Mallory Godwin, Kara Kellner, Cadence Patterson, Samantha Quinlisk, Reagan Paulus, Logan Shaw, Emily Short, Zoee Steele, Leah Zimmerman and Sasha Casada.
Also Mariana Aguilar-Steele, Eileen Armstrong, Rose Marie Armstrong, Samuel Baldauf, Connor Bell, Jon Berry, Julia Berryman, Alyssa Bodey, Olivia Breinich, Dublin Cooper, Killarney Cooper, O’Keefe Cooper, Makenzi Cox, Caitlin Fenton, Alyvia Fleming, Gabriel Fleming, Kloie Fleming, Grace Hockaday, Annabelle Holthaus, Bryce Henry, Imani Howell, Mariah Johnson, Diya Kannan, Lorraine Kelley, Anthony Kellner, Emma Keykens, Edelle Langston, Ethne Langston and Briana Lewis.
Also Hayden Lewis, Payson Lewis, Faith Long, Mia McFarland, Emma Poeppelman, Khloe Pullins, Audrey Quick, Jack Quinlisk, Madelyn Reed, Alex Rose, Brandi Smith, Summer Sprowl, Addison Walker, Sophia Walker, Madalynn Wooddell, Cheyenne Wooddell, Kieran Yarkosky and Alyssa York.
Costumes have been designed by Marge Schell.
