A cool ‘Cinderella’

Young Chang

Konstantin Rassadin took liberties with his production of

“Cinderella.”

The character of the cinder-girl turned princess, for example, carries

her two slippers, one of which she drops while rushing home from the

ball.

It’s practical. Tatiana Prokofieva, who dances the title role, can’t

very well stumble offstage wearing only one ice skate.

So Rassadin, founder and artistic director of the St. Petersburg State

Ice Ballet, modified the fairy tale a little.

Rassadin’s company will perform “Cinderella” on ice in Orange Coast

College’s Robert B. Moore Theatre. The college’s stage will be

transformed into an ice rink.

The set is innovative. The center rink is bare, so dancers can twirl

and glide. Props and other scenery are pushed to the outskirts of the

rink.

And the whole thing travels -- all 10,000 pounds of crushed ice -- to

each new performance venue.

The 34-year-old company, known for combining classical ballet with

figure skating, trains in St. Petersburg, Russia. The group, which is in

its sixth year of touring North America, has performed more than 5,000

shows around the world including “The Sleeping Beauty,” “Swan Lake,”

“Romeo and Juliet,” “The Nutcracker” and, most recently, “Cinderella,”

which started its run in October.

“It’s an interpretation of the original story,” said Rassadin, who

spoke through translator Svetlana Korolkova. “The character of the king

was made into one of the most important characters in the performance,

and I also tried to make it a comedy.”

He added that the character of the king matches the score by composer

Sergei Prokoviev. In his opinion, the composition is suitable for a

comedy.

“The music is like the taste of a grapefruit,” Rassadin said.

“Prokoviev’s music is not very melodic, and it is also very modern.”

The technology for the traveling show is modern as well. At least 24

hours before a performance, about five tons of crushed ice are poured

into a self-refrigerated ice rink that is placed on stage. Cubes with

holes or scooped out middles can never be used, said company manager

Walter Milani. The ice is watered every 15 to 20 minutes.

“[The rink’s] got many sets that are flown up and down,” Milani added.

“It’s very very colorful, a lot of hints of violets and purples.”

Rassadin said the style of “Cinderella” is a medley.

“It’s a combination of music and movement that you can get when you’re

skating with the beauty of ballet,” he said.

Prokofieva said dancing the role of Cinderella puts her in a good

mood. The skater, whose repertoire includes the role of Princess Aurora

in “Sleeping Beauty” and Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet,” said “Cinderella”

is an all-time favorite with her because it’s a classic with a happy

ending.

“I really like the music, especially when you dance with the prince,”

said the skater who has trained in ballet since age 9. “It’s really easy

dancing for moves.”

FYI

WHAT: “Cinderella”

WHEN: 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Orange Coast College’s Robert B. Moore Theatre, 2701 Fairview

Road, Costa Mesa

COST: $14-$33

CALL: (714) 432-5880