The Royal Ballet's Cinderella: Act II pas de deux

Fumi Kaneko and William Bracewell perform the stunning Act II pas de deux from Frederick Ashton's Cinderella.

In 1939, Founder Choreographer of The Royal Ballet Frederick Ashton first began to consider creating a full-length work, the Company's first three-act ballet. At the time, it seemed like the obvious next step for British ballet. The idea was shelved during the war but in 1946, Ashton returned urgently to it. Inspired by other balletic adaptations of Cinderella coming out of Russia, Ashton chose to create his own version of Charles Perrault’s famous rags-to-riches story. Set to Prokofiev’s exquisite score, the ballet received its premiere in 1948, featuring Moira Shearer and Michael Somes in the lead roles. 

The creative team behind the exquisite world of Cinderella includes set designer Tom Pye (My Neighbour Totoro, Olivier award for Best Set Design), costume designer Alexandra Byrne (Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Academy Award for Best Costume Design), lighting designer David Finn (Brokeback Mountain), video designer Finn Ross (Les Miserables, Frozen) and illusions by Chris Fisher (Harry Potter and The Cursed Child).  

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