Princeton Youth Ballet based in Plainsboro performs “Cinderella” on Saturday and Sunday, May 14 and 15. Risa Kaplowitz of West Windsor is the choreographer and artistic director of the new production. Tickets are $20.
West Windsor and Plainsboro residents in the production include Max Azaro (in the role of the Prince), Isabella Araya, Annabel Azaro, Laure Baden, Lucas Baden, Selin Bayrakli, Talia Bayrakli, Nithya Borra, Frances Brown, Zoe Chang, Antonia Comaniciu, Jai Garg, Bhadra Gurjar, Jonas Hinsdale, Sophia Neiditch, Rina Okada, Kendall Sands, Eric Simon, and Manya Zhu.
“Cinderella is the favorite fairytale of many,” says Kaplowitz. “It certainly is mine. I know in this day of feminism, it has its detractors, but if the story is presented from the viewpoint of Cinderella being a source of kindness and strength instead of someone needing rescuing, then it is worth telling. I am really excited to see what comes out of the dancers and me — hopefully something fresh, compelling, and moving.”
She began creating plays and dances when she was a young child. “I would put on a record, make up dances to the music, and show my parents,” she says. “I also had a passion for playwriting and would put on plays involving neighborhood kids and elementary school friends.”
She was also involved in the choreographic process from a young age. “My early ballet teacher, Tensia Fonseca (of Maryland Youth Ballet), always created original ballets and so did Stuart Sebastion, the director of Dayton (Ohio) Ballet, where I was a principal dancer for many years,” she says. “They both created their own stories and made original scores using classical music. I have not yet created a brand new story, but working with these creators at a young age was a real gift and gave me the courage to explore choreographic possibilities.”
Kaplowitz begins by finding a story that she feels a connection to, such as Cinderella, which she watched on TV every year. “Even though many other choreographers have already done so, I felt I could make something fresh out of it.”
She has combined the stories by Perrault and the Grimm Brothers. She spends many hours listening to music to tell her version of the story. “When I find it, the entire process takes on a magical aura. It is almost as if the ballet begins to write itself.” The next step is to choreograph steps and movement to convey the narrative and characters.
She creates her musical scores using Garage Band software. “When I find a composer I want to use, I purchase almost every piece they wrote (and many versions of each piece),” she says. “Then I treat it as a jigsaw puzzle, moving pieces of music around and trying different versions out in Garage Band until my gut tells me it’s right. The music and I become co-creators — sometimes I need to bend it to my whim and other times the music leads my narrative.”
“It can be very difficult to tell a story without words, but I have always loved gesture and movement and I do believe that even a little dance can express far more than words,” she says. “Music says so much also and when you move the body with the music, a window to the soul of a story and character opens.”
Cinderella, Princeton Youth Ballet, Princeton High School Performing Arts Center. Saturday and Sunday, May 14 and 15, 4 p.m. $20. 800-838-3006. www.princetonyouthballet.org.
Princeton Youth Ballet takes a different stage at the second annual Nassau Film Festival on Sunday, May 15, at the Garden Theater in Princeton. The free showing of short films by local and international filmmakers will include “Everyday Magic —Transforming Young Dancers into Artists.”
The eight-minute film was created by Kathy Azaro, a West Windsor resident and mother of dancers Max and Annabel Azaro, with assistance and a Community Partners Project Grant from Princeton Community Television. The film gives an inside look at the daily workings and impact of Princeton Youth Ballet on young dancers.
Nassau Film Festival, Princeton Garden Theater, 160 Nassau Street, Princeton. Sunday, May 15, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Free. The film can also be viewed online at www.vimeo.com/157746562. www.nassaufilmfestival.org.
