With ‘Cinderella,’ World Ballet Company hopes to create excitement around ballet

World Ballet Company co-founder Gulya Hartwick has heard it all before.

“Ballet is too sophisticated for me.” “Ballet is hard to understand.” “Ballet is boring.”

Hartwick understands where those comments are coming from because she used to think the same things.

Hartwick grew up playing the piano, not dancing ballet. Her first introduction to ballet came after a friend invited her to see a performance of “Giselle,” which she very nearly declined.

“I was worried that I wouldn’t understand it, and that feeling stayed with me,” she said. “I realized that many people assume ballet is something they won’t get, and that’s simply not true. When you see it live, you feel it, it’s very emotional, it’s very human.”

Hartwick said that experience changed her and shaped how she and co-founder Sasha Gorskaya, who also didn’t grow up dancing, built the World Ballet Company. Coming from the audience side of things, the two paid attention to moments that confused or moved audience members and built a company for the audience.

With the World Ballet Company, Hartwick said she and Gorskaya want to change the stereotype of ballet that many have, showing reluctant audience members that ballet is an art form available to all through original music and choreography, plus multimedia elements.

“We use a cinematic style, clear storytelling, strong visuals,” she said. “Nothing is random, and everything is there to help the audience understand it to the fullest. At the end of the day, that’s what we always think about – the audience.”

World Ballet Company will be thinking about Inland Northwest audiences on Sunday when they bring their tour of “Cinderella” to the First Interstate Center for the Arts.

The company’s production is inspired by the tale as told by Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm. But in any version, the story remains the same.

A young girl named Cinderella, still upset after the death of her mother, is forced to live at the beck and call of her evil stepmother and stepsisters. After the household receives an invitation to a ball, Cinderella, who is initially told she can’t go, gets help from her Fairy Godmother to prepare for the event.

Things start off well, with the Prince taking notice of Cinderella, but when the clock strikes midnight, Cinderella must flee, leaving behind a glass slipper that the Prince then uses to search for the mysterious woman who captivated him at the ball.

The production features 40 dancers from around the world, more than 150 hand-sewn costumes and hand-crafted sets. “Cinderella” was choreographed by Marina Kesler.

“Cinderella” has been part of the World Ballet Company’s repertoire since 2023. Touted as a Broadway-style show, Hartwick said the company uses “the full spectrum of all theatrical effects,” including multimedia elements that are new this season, to make the show pop and keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

“It’s a very joyful show,” Hartwick said. “We hear so much laughter during the performance, and it’s interesting how ballet can be emotional and dramatic, and we all know about it, but it can also be light and funny.”

Along with “Cinderella,” the World Ballet Company also performs classics like “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker” as well as newer works like “The Great Gatsby.” In the company’s mind, Hartwick said, their goal to preserve the rich heritage of classical ballet is not in opposition to their goal to be innovative.

“(The audience) wants to see ‘Swan Lake’ done beautifully or ‘Cinderella’ or whatnot, but they also want it to speak their language,” she said. “The key here is respect. Respect for tradition, respect for the music and respect for the audience. That’s how you create this balance.”

Hartwick said many cities are underserved when it comes to ballet and that audiences deserve real, full-scale productions with thoughtful staging, strong technique and beautiful music. Hartwick holds her dancers to a high standard to ensure the best show while also working to build a company that they will want to dance with season after season.

“It’s not just a job for us,” she said. “We care deeply about what we do. Audiences can feel the energy. You can see it in the standing ovations we get.”

And by creating a standing ovation-worthy performance, Hartwick hopes the World Ballet Company inspires audience members to support their local and regional ballet companies. Though they may differ in terms of the amount of resources they have to work with, Hartwick said all ballet companies are part of the same ecosystem.

“When we come to a city, we help create excitement around ballet,” she said. “We bring in many first-time audience members. They realize ballet is not intimidating, it’s moving and accessible, and often, that curiosity continues. They go on to see productions by their local ballet company, contemporary work, and that’s a win for everyone.”