RALEIGH, N.C. — If you’re a fan of fairytales, you might be interested in the new "Cinderella" ballet coming to Raleigh this week.
The Carolina Ballet is not just focused on bringing new performances to those who are longtime supporters, it also focuses on the wider community and bringing ballet to those who have never experienced it before.
“I feel like ballet isn’t that well known,” Ballerina Margaret Severin-Hansen said. “But a lot of people in this community don't realize that we have such an extensive repertoire of dances that the ballet company does do other than 'The Nutcracker.'”
Performing with a company is a dream for many dancers.
“I was a kid at one point,” Joseph Gerhardt said. “I was the one looking up at all the male dancers.”
For the dancers in the Carolina Ballet, it’s become reality.
“Three-year-old me would be absolutely ecstatic,” Courtney Schenberger said. “And 28-year-old me is also ecstatic.”
To wrap up the season, the ballet is performing a brand new version of "Cinderella."
Margaret Severin-Hansen joined the Carolina Ballet for its first season 26 years ago as a founding member. She played Cinderella in the past, but now she’s moved on to the fairy godmother.
“What I enjoy most about being the fairy godmother is that it's a fairy, so it's not a person,” Severin-Hansen said. “So it has a very ethereal feel towards it.”
She’s passed the role of princess on to the next star.
“Everyone tells a story differently,” Schenberger said. “And that's part of what makes ballet so interesting.”
One of those stars is Schenberger.
“There is something for everyone,” Schenberger said. “And it's just an amazing thing to watch and be a part of as well.”
One of her favorite parts about the Carolina Ballet is its commitment to community engagement. It is holding a free community performance of "Cinderella" on Friday, and it’s one of Schenberger’s favorite shows.
“Those community performances are so much fun to dance for because the energy and the excitement from the audience is incredible,” Schenberger said.
Schenberger says ballet is a universal language, and this is a way to share their art with everyone.
“I think just like anything else or anyone else, to feel like what you are doing on stage is appreciated just is incredible,” Schenberger said.
“I actually just danced with one of my role models from when I was in high school," Gerhardt said. "And now getting to work with little kids and them getting into ballet and saying that I'm their inspiration. And it feels very full circle.”
So whether it’s the free ballet classes that are offered to under-privileged kids or the free community performance, it’s all a way of inspiring the next generation of dancers.
The Carolina Ballet also gets involved with the community through performances at art museums, public schools, and festivals.
Performances of "Cinderella" run through Sunday. The free community performance will be at 11 a.m. Friday.
