Ballet company to perform in Sville

An evening full of fantasy and magic is coming to Stephenville Arts and Culture Centre.
Ballet JÖrgen Canada will perform their production of the classic fairy tale Cinderella at the venue as part of a national tour on March 27.
"Most people know the Disney version of Cinderella, but Cinderella has been around for over 3,000 years, long before there was a Disney," said
Bengt JÖrgen, the company's artistic director and CEO.
"We are doing a production that respects the tradition and gives people what they expect of Cinderella, which is she loses her slipper and at the end everything comes together, but we wanted to touch base with what's made the story so powerful for such a long period of time."
Cinderella features 16 dancers choreographed by Mr. JÖrgen, performing to a score by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev.
"It is a very beautiful production, it has wonderful sets and costumes," added Mr. JÖrgen. "And I like to think that we have a little bit of magic through the dance in there, as well. It's not just entertainment, it's something that will inspire you, too. That's my hope when you see the production."
He said the show is divided into two acts with an intermission, and is fitting for the entire family.
"We use a lot of humour in the production, it's an easy production to watch," noted Mr. JÖrgen. "A lot of people that come to see our ballets have never before seen a ballet, so we want to make sure people can come in and enjoy it, whether they have seen anything before or not."

Big production
Mr. JÖrgen said there were many people involved in the creation of this ballet.
"It took us about two years from when we started thinking about doing Cinderella to actually putting it on stage," said Mr. JÖrgen. "These are big productions and they cost a lot of money, and you want to make sure if you're going to do it, you do it right."
The tour started in British Columbia shortly before the Vancouver Olympics, and the company is making its way east to this province and then touring through Atlantic Canada before heading back to its home base in Ontario.
"It's fun to tour because you get to meet a lot of people and you have to adjust to a lot of stages, which is an interesting process," said Mr. JÖrgen.
"It has a hard element too, being away for a long period of time, but it is what we do and the company is built around the ability to travel and connect with people."
He noted there's also an artistic benefit to being on the road, as the 26-show tour allows the dancers a chance to refine their performances.
Mr. JÖrgen said he's excited about returning to Stephenville with this production.
"I think the first time we were there was in 1995, with the Nutcracker. We did Romeo and Juliet and we also did a children's ballet, but we haven't been back for six or seven years," he said. "Cinderella's a great show, I hope people come out and see it."
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