The Oklahoma Festival Ballet is a wonderful tradition on campus, showcasing student talents and adding cultural entertainment to the community. This year’s festival features an introduction from Valse-Fantasie and the story of Cinderella performed by forty students majoring in dance at the University of Oklahoma.

Melanie Jensen, a sophomore who played Cinderella from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, said,  “Cinderella has been one of the most exciting roles to perform because character development and emotion throughout the ballet is just as important to convey as the actual dance sequences.”

Ballets like Cinderella are especially audience-friendly. Many little girls who attended were excited to see Cinderella become a princess and wanted to become ballerinas themselves. Also, the comedic acts of Steve Brule and Donn Edwards as The Stepsisters will leave your sides aching.

The students performing in the Festival dedicate over 15 hours a week to practices throughout the semester. The result? Goosebumps. It's amazing how hard these students train to be beautiful dancers. “The most enjoyable experience from this process was meshing artistic and technical qualities - by the time we were on stage, every reaction and movement felt genuine and amazing!” said Jensen.

Performances will continue Saturday, December 8, at 8:00 P.M. and Sunday, December 9, at 3:00 P.M. Don’t miss your chance to see the university’s finest dancers perform.
 
Learn more about the OU School of Dance.