Restaged in a Wave of a Wand

Oleg Vinogradov’s version of “Cinderella” wants to be a slightly unconventional retelling of a classic fairy tale, a lyric dance-drama about people imprisoned by their place in life and a grand-scale classical showpiece that belongs alongside the story ballets of the 19th century. But it integrates dance and narrative awkwardly, lacks theatrical magic and never really accounts for the darkness and sarcasm in Sergei Prokofiev’s score.

Originally choreographed in 1964, it joined the repertory of the Kirov Ballet and during Vinogradov’s tenure as that company’s artistic director was scheduled to be seen in the 1995 Kirov season at the Orange County Performing Arts Center--a season canceled because of problems earlier on the company’s national tour.

Enter the Perm State Ballet, a company with strong links to the Kirov in training and style. Even before performing the production at home in Russia, Perm brought this newly restaged “Cinderella” to the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, with the vividness of Stanislav Benediktov’s sets and costumes erasing the memory of the company’s antique, threadbare “Giselle” on its first visit last year.

In outline, Vinogradov’s production follows Communist-era priorities by satirizing Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters as the dregs of crass, acquisitive, bourgeois society--and by sending Cinderella and her Prince off to Fantasy Land at the end lest they return to the palace to head the ruling class. (Both of them decline a crown during Act 2.)

However, Vinogradov does tweak the standard narrative here and there. For instance, Cinderella doesn’t earn her transformation by an act of charity; her Fairy Godmother protects her from the very beginning. And although the Prince carries Cinderella’s slipper around the world, he never asks anyone to try it on but simply holds it up as a divining rod or homing device. (It’s gone before he and Cinderella are reunited.)

His most sensitive insight is showing the Prince as much stifled by palace glitter as Cinderella is by fireplace grime--and thus how they are made for one another. Their mutual need and growing ardor are reflected in the best of his dances: duets in the second and third acts full of complex partnering tasks and bravura steps, especially for her.

Although the title role showcased the exemplary Natalia Moiseeva, the most memorable dancing at the Saturday matinee came from the corps: 18 women playing the Fairy Godmother’s attendants doing matched beaten steps with feathery lightness late in Act 1, and 12 men playing the Prince’s guards doing quasi-equestrian and military maneuvers with great flair early in Act 3.

The alarming decline in corps proficiency at American Ballet Theatre and other U.S. companies may have helped make Perm’s achievement seem so striking. We have fine Cinderellas of our own but no ensembles like this.

Dancing initially in folk clogs as a symbol of the oppressed masses, Moiseeva graduated to toe shoes without losing her remarkable warmth. Suavely partnered by Vitaly Poleschuk, she floated through every test of balance and tossed off 30 fouettes with rapid changes of arm positions. A lovely performance.

As the Prince, Poleschuk managed to make Moiseeva look weightless in every difficult lift but danced unevenly in solo display passages--at best smooth and clean, but with limited elevation and occasionally rocky transitions.

The gracious Yulia Mashkina also sometimes looked shaky in the Godmother’s extended Act 1 duties, but Irina Kozyntseva danced the nasty Stepmother with faultless security. Tatiana Bolshukina (addled, in red) and Natalia Makina (pouty, in green) played the Stepsisters effectively, but never made the characters into the very bad dancers that Vinogradov required.

Unbilled, but a very good dancer: Yana Fedotova in the Spanish divertissement. Dmitry Durnev bumbled charmingly as the king but Dmitry Assaulyak and Oleg Posokhin hadn’t yet made anything distinctive out of the finicky character roles of the Tailor and Dance Master.

*

Valery Platonov expertly led the company orchestra and the brass, again, proved a real liability.