Eugene Ballet returns with full production of 'Cinderella' at the Hult Center
After years of twists and turns — the bad kind — the Eugene Ballet is finally set to debut "Cinderella" this weekend, making a triumphant return of big-production drama, glam and, of course, many spins and pirouettes — the good kind.
The show, running Friday through Sunday, Nov. 5-7, is the largest locally produced performance to hit the Hult Center's Silva Concert Hall stage since the spring of 2019. Many hands came together to make it happen: The production takes 165 people behind the curtain, including 23 company dancers, 34 academy students and 46 musicians with Orchestra Next, the ballet's resident orchestra.
The show was originally set for the fall of 2020, then it was rescheduled and canceled in the spring of 2021. The delays make "Cinderella" a particularly fitting story for artists and dancers to return to the stage with. For years now, people who have trained their whole life to perform have been denied their "Cinderella" ball, awaiting a fairy godmother to make it better.
"This is what we live to do, so it's been hard to have it on pause for so long," Eugene Ballet dancer Sarah Kosterman said. "What's nice about these big productions are all the different elements that come together like the orchestra, all the set pieces, the costumes, dancers (and) crew."
This weekend, you can see Kosterman as Brizetta, one of the stepsisters. It's her sixth season with the company.
The excitement and anticipation of such a long-awaited return is apparent in all participating. Company dancer Hayley Tavonatti, who will play the other stepsister, Clarinda, is in her fifth season with the Eugene Ballet, but expects her pre-show nerves to feel different after such a long hiatus.
"We did a little show over the summer for maybe 30 people and I was so nervous," Tavonatti said, with a laugh. "Prior to the pandemic, I would usually get a little bit of stage nerves right before the curtain goes up, it's just that excitement of knowing that you are about to perform in front of a live audience with all of their reactions and feeling the energy ... but I'm anticipating feeling an elevated level of those stage nerves."
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More than 60 new costumes were created for the show and the sets were meticulously made to match the moment of jubilant return. Workers spent more than 200 hours bringing the iconic pumpkin carriage to life, said the show's associate technical director, Eärendil Biskup.
Audiences will likely revel in the show's bright outfits and artful sets as well as the accompanying sounds, from the big noises of a full orchestra and the smaller noises of dozens of costumes brushing against each other.
Orchestra Next celebrates 10 years
This year, Orchestra Next, which is providing the live music, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. The nonprofit orchestra is a unique mix of aspiring orchestral musicians alongside professionals, creating an equally vibrant and refined sound. It was founded by Brian McWhorter and Sarah Viens to address two needs: live music for the Eugene Ballet and more professional-level music opportunities to train students.
At first, the orchestra joined the ballet's "Nutcracker" performances. Over the years, it's joined more productions, and this season, it will join more shows than ever before. The orchestra also has collaborated with the University of Oregon Opera, Eugene Concert Choir, Soromundi Lesbian Choir of Eugene and the UO Theatre Department.
During a "Cinderella" dress rehearsal, McWhorter, the conductor, paused a song and gave tips to his musicians to maximize the drama. They began again, giving the piece more epic punches.
"Yes," he said, loudly and with a smile. "We're having fun now!"
Working with a new space
This weekend's show is the ballet's first big production since the it moved from the 1600 block of Willamette Street to its new home, the Midtown Arts Center, in August.
The Midtown Arts Center, or MAC, is a culmination of an aspiration Eugene Ballet Artistic Director Toni Pimble imagined since founding the ballet company in 1978.
Eugene Ballet fundraised since 2016 for a new permanent home designed specifically to allow the academy to expand. The ballet academy now operates on the second floor of the nearly 30,000-square-foot MAC while leasing first-floor offices to arts organizations Chamber Music Amici, Lane Arts Council, Orchestra NEXT and the Eugene Opera, among others.
Mixed-use marvel: Eugene's new Midtown Arts Center a marriage of public arts and private development
As the show approaches, dancers are feeling the many advantages of the much bigger space, especially the fact that the space where they practice is the same size as the stage they will perform on.
"In a sense, it feels comfortable because we've been working in there for a while now, but I'm also still in awe of the space and feel like I'm maybe a guest," said Suzanne Haag, the ballet's resident choreographer and the stepmother in the coming show. "I'm still pinching myself."
For tickets to one of Eugene Ballet's four "Cinderella" performances, go to hult.performingartscentereugene.org. The Hult Center will require proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID test taken within 48 hours of performance for entry to all performances. Mask-wearing is required when inside the venue. Eating and drinking are permitted, but masks must be worn between bites and sips.
Contact reporter Tatiana Parafiniuk-Talesnick at Tatiana@registerguard.com or 541-521-7512, and follow her on Twitter @TatianaSophiaPT. Want more stories like this? Subscribe to get unlimited access and support local journalism.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Eugene Ballet returns with full production of 'Cinderella'
