On stage, performers from the Ventura County Ballet are bringing the story of Cinderella to life. Cinderella is dancing and sweeping, and is greeted by magical woodland creatures and fairies.
It's part of the Ventura County Ballet’s new stage production of Cinderella, and they’re performing it for TK thru 5th grade public school students at E.P Foster Elementary School.
"It is something that is so magical to have the arts come visit us," said Vanessa Contreras, the school's principal. She added that having the production visit the school is a way to inspire the students.
"My hope is that students will see this performance, which many of them have never been to the ballet, and hopefully inspire them as they grow to be ballet performers themselves," said Contreras.
It’s a chance for the kids to get up close and personal and ask questions, and think about the ways that dancers tells stories without using words.
"They use, like, gestures. Like, if they have an idea or if they're hungry or they love you," explained one student.
One of the dancers, Mila Watts, said she was inspired to take up dancing after seeing others.
Bringing the joy of dance to underserved children and families is an important part of their service to the community, said Cheryl Sills with Ventura County Ballet.
"It opens up their imagination. It opens a world of new possibilities," Sills explained. "Maybe some of them might want to dance. Maybe some of them might think, 'Look at those dresses,' and they'll become a costumier or a lighting designer or a set director. Or they might do none of those things, but it opens up creativity and their imagination. There have actually been academic studies that show that when kids see live performances, they have better attention span, their self-expression grows, [their] creativity grows, and their empathy grows."
Ventura County Ballet presents Cinderella at the Oxnard PAC on April 13 in a public performance.
