CINDERELLA
Ballet Nelson 2025
SYNOPSIS
ACT 1 |
The Funeral
At her mother’s funeral, young Ella lays flowers on the grave, feeling the weight of loss and longing. In her heart, she hears her mother’s final words: to remain kind and courageous, no matter what life throws her way. As she tends the grave, her father, overcome with grief, breaks down and falls to his knees. Ella rushes to him, offering comfort. Together, they leave the cemetery and head home, carrying the quiet weight of loss. The Family After Ella’s father remarries, her stepmother and stepsisters quickly make the home cold and unkind, leaving Ella to do all the chores and earning her the name Cinderella. When invitations to the royal ball arrive, her stepmother gives them only to her daughters and destroys the one secretly offered to Ella. Heartbroken, Ella is comforted by her loyal mice and a mysterious presence that feels like her mother’s spirit. As the sisters prepare for the ball, Ella’s quiet grace briefly shows before she’s pushed aside once more. The family departs, leaving Ella behind, longing for a life beyond her hardship. The Garden Alone, Ella comforts herself by imagining she’s at the ball, dancing in her mother’s shawl. Her mouse friends lead her to the garden, where the gentle voice returns - revealed as her fairy godmother. With the help of magical creatures, Ella is transformed: Autumn fairies craft her gown, Winter fairies create her cape, Spring butterflies and a grasshopper shape her glass slippers, and Summer roses complete the look. Awed by her transformation, Ella is ready for the royal ball - but warned she must return before midnight, when the magic will fade. INTERVAL 15min
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ACT 2 |
The Ball
At the royal ball, Ella’s stepmother and stepsisters revel in the palace and try to win the Prince’s attention, but he quickly loses interest. As a magical presence fills the room, he turns to see Ella - radiant and unlike anyone he has met. Their first dance feels like a dream. The Prince gifts each guest a rare orange, giving the last to Ella before leading her to the garden, where they dance the night away. But when the clock begins to chime, Ella panics and flees before the magic fades, slipping away at midnight and leaving behind only a single glass slipper. INTERVAL 15min
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ACT 3 |
The Search
The next morning, the palace announces the Prince is searching for the mysterious young woman who left behind a glass slipper. He travels through the kingdom with no success until he reaches his last stop - Ella’s home. The stepsisters eagerly try the slipper, but it fits neither of them. In desperation, the stepmother forces it onto the younger sister, injuring her in the process, but the Prince immediately senses something is wrong. As he turns to leave, he notices Ella quietly holding the matching slipper. He recognises her at once and, relieved to escape the chaos of the household, takes her away from the life that never saw her worth. In the final scene, Ella and the Prince stand together in a blooming rose garden; a gentle, hopeful beginning for Ella, now free to step into her true place. |
