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Bossov Ballet to Perform Cinderella in Waterville
The girls are beautiful, the men are strong, the dancing is spellbinding, the costumes are bright, and the music is powerful. Children will love it; so will their parents, and so will a couple on a romantic date or a just-for-fun date. Bossov's Cinderella at the Waterville Opera House, Friday, August 1 and Saturday, August 2, is Cinderella as author Charles Perrault, 1628-1703, meant it to be. It is a story with depth, a morality tale through which children might learn, and entertaining enough for them to listen. It's what the old fairy fales were — lessons of life. Sergei Prokofiev who wrote the music was a student of life, as well as a great composer. His Cinderella Overture opens with ominous, eerie strains of foreboding. Something's going to happen, it tells us — something big. That Prokofiev composed the piece while World War II raged — in the very country where it was raging most — is part of what makes the ballet the drama that it is. Conceived in 1940, the score was written in 1941 after Prokofiev fled a battle-threatened Moscow and was moving from town to town, just a step ahead of the invading Germans. His saga pervades the music — the turmoil, the suspense, and finally victory and peace.
Andrei Bossov's original libretto and choreography give Cinderella its authority, its uniqueness and profound impact. In 1972, Andrei Bossov graduated from St. Petersburg, Russia's Academic Ballet School, originally the Imperial Ballet School of Russia, established in the Winter Palace under the Empress Anna in 1742 and arguably the finest ballet school in the history of the world. Andrei quickly rose to "Principal Dancer" in St. Petersburg's Kirov Ballet, formerly the Tsar's own performing company. He toured internationally performing solo parts and he was called upon to choreograph, i.e. to create new ballets. In 1991, Andrei came to the United States. In 1996, he became Artistic Director for the newly established Bossov Ballet Theatre. In 1998 the Theatre established itself on the campus of Maine Central Institute (MCI) in Pittsfield. It is dedicated to preserving classic ballet without compromise of quality and discipline. Dancers come from throughout the United States and internationally to train with Bossov and his Associate Director, Natalya Getman, formerly of Moscow Ballet. Young dancers can start as early as 5 years old once a week and progress to attend daily classes either as commuters in the afternoons and evenings or as day students at MCI. Many dancers have successfully found professional employment after their training. For more information visit the Bossov Ballet's website or call its executive director, Col. Michael Wyly, at Click either photo to enlarge it. The resulting popup box will close automatically when you click somewhere else. | ||
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