ARTS4KIDS FOUNDATION AND KONTINENT MEDIA MAKE A FAIRY TALE COME TRUE FOR THE EASTERN EUROPEAN CHILDREN AT THE PERFORMANCE OF “CINDERELLA” BY JOFFREY’S ACADEMY OF DANCE

May 12, 2012, Chicago, IL, Arts4Kids Foundation and Kontinent Media partnering with art studio “Artishock” made a fairy tale come true for Eastern European children, some of whom saw a live ballet performance for the first time. In the history of the community this marks first such field trip/activity organized for children.

A group of 35 children (ranging from 5yrs – 10yrs) and chaperons traveled downtown from the Northwest suburbs to Joffrey Towers for an unforgettable afternoon to attend world’s best-known fairy tale “Cinderella” ardently choreographed by Alexei Kremnev and Anna Reznik to Prokofiev’s music. This nonstop action ballet performance filled with plenty of frills and spectacles, made it engaging and exciting for the little ones’ short attention span.

From its debut performance at the Bolshoi Theatre (Russia) in 1945 Cinderella quickly became one of the favorite productions among children and “kid at heart” adults. Ashley C. Wheater, Joffrey’s Artistic Director said that “the phrase “Cinderella story” has become a metaphor for “success earned against the odds.” Adding that “…Cinderella is a staple of the ballet repertoire, boasting some of the most compelling music and choreography found in any narrative ballet.”

Fernando Duarte as Jester channeled excitement and impressive energy. Fairies as if floating through the air with fluid movements made for quite a visual. Marie Varlet (Cinderella) and Dylan Santos (Prince) personified the story with their well-executed movements making the fairy tale come alive.

Joffrey’s Academy of Dance, Artistic Directors, Mr. Kremnev and Mrs. Reznik remarked, “life begins with a dream and each dream begins with imagination. We dream for something we really wish for, but may not ever be able to have, these dreams are what we live for!” Mr. Kremnev, further stated that “Joffrey is very happy to be able to provide a unique opportunity for many children to experience a world class programs and performances in Chicago. Joffrey Academy’s “Children’s ballet theatre series” is a unique program and we are looking forward to make every child’s visit an unbelievable experience.” He also talked about their future plans to exciting programs based on original and innovative works. Lastly, adding that “[w]e were glad to have [your group].”

This story of a beautiful girl named Cinderella, who lives with her mean-spirited Stepmother and two childish Stepsisters, who rule the house made for a great moral that dreams do come true, perhaps not quite as readily as in this fairy tale. But with hard work and passion anything could be possible.

Leonard Mogul for Kontinent Media stated, “it was an incredibly rewarding experience to take a group of children to see such a beautiful ballet performance.” He added, “I believe in helping to play a positive role in the lives of children. After all, instilling positive values in children early on will help them to grow-up to be productive adults.”

For information on Arts4Kids Foundation or future events, please call 847.274.1648.

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Leonard Mogul
Kontinent Media Group
Arts4Kids Foundation
Photos by Alex Riemann

A special thank you to Palo Popcorn for their product contribution.

Arts4Kids Foundation
Arts4Kids aims to introduce children to a variety of art forms, hence fostering intellectual and emotional growth as well as enabling them to dissolve cultural barriers inherent in the world around them.