The Open World Dance Foundation will present a major full-length ballet production of Cinderella with local youth and stars of American Ballet Theatre, Devon Teuscher and Cory Stearns, on Saturday, November 25 and Sunday, November 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Parker Playhouse, located at 707 N.E. 8th Street in Fort Lauderdale.
Among those selected to be a part of this production are Alexandrea Benedict (13), from Plantation; Gabrielle Bohbot (11) and Emili Jurevicius (7) from Hollywood; Sophia Leah Rost (10) from Parkland; Chloe Rivet (13), Jolie Lavaux (7), Angelina Aramouni (12) and Brianna Salcedo (10) from Boca Raton; Aaron Gomez (8) and Yacob Gomez (9) from Boynton Beach; Thalia Rodriguez (12) from Pembroke Pines; Ruomeng (Rose) Wang (11) from Pinecrest; Savonya Haliburton (12) from Riviera Beach; Sophia A. Triminio (7), Ana Baraldi (7), Cephanie Amelia Sanchez Cole (10), Mikayla L. Wieland (10), Alyssa Jin (9) and Zariah Valentine (11) from Delray Beach; and Jayla Jacobs from West Palm Beach.
This past year marked the 125th anniversary of composer, Sergei Prokofiev, who’s noted works include the music for the ballets Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella. The Open World Dance Foundation celebrated the life of this remarkable composer with the production of Cinderella, which premiered in Houston, TX, November 10th & 11th, 2016 starring Misty Copeland. As a follow up to this successful run, the Open World Dance Foundation will share this unique opportunity with local children, youth and the community in South Florida. The vision of Open World Dance Foundation’s founder and president, Ekaterina Shchelkanova, is to create a special experience for children to collaborate in the creation of the production and rehearse and dance alongside accomplished dancers and other guest artists from around the world in their culminating performance.
Open World Dance Foundation promotes the preservation and development of the traditions of professional ballet education. Shchelkanova, its founder, was trained at the well-known Vaganova Ballet Academy and danced with the world famous Kirov Ballet, now known as the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, and later on with American Ballet Theater in New York City. She then proceeded on to starring in the movie Chicago, where she received a prestigious Screen Actors Guild Award.
Under the foundation’s motto, “United by Dance,” the foundation strives to create opportunities to unite dancers of all ages and backgrounds from around the world through a common love of ballet and dance education. This includes festivals and exchange programs, promoting and preserving dance education, and sharing and following the traditions of ballet, particularly the teachings of Professor Agrippina Vaganova. In addition, they provide access to ballet training for orphans and underprivileged children.
“Open World Dance Foundation is excited to present this production in Boca Raton and share this incredible opportunity with local children, youth, and the community while celebrating the traditions of classical ballet,” said Shchelkanova. “Open World Dance Foundation, together with local youth, will create a beautiful production to honor the world’s history, music, ballet, and arts and will open the door to the amazing world of creativity that unites us all in a task to create something special, passionate, beautiful and full of joy.”
Tickets range from $35 - $175. For tickets and more information, visit www.OpenWorldDanceFoundation.com.
