It's a ballet like you've never seen before.
There's jivin,' there's swing, and there's a live big band. "A Cinderella Story" is a reimagined plotline of the classic tale. Yet this one modernizes it, even in a 1950s setting.
Kate Robichaux is the Cinderella-ish character, who they call "Nancy."
"She's a young girl, she lives with her father," Robichaux told us. "Her family is well-off... It's kinda the same storyline as Cinderella where the stepmother and step-sisters aren't very nice to her."
In a statement, the Orlando Ballet says, "Val Caniparoli’s 'A Cinderella Story' was inspired by the 1957 televised version of Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, which starred Julie Andrews... [It's] similar to the televised version, but wonderfully different."
Nancy sneaks out of the house and meets her Prince Charming, a.k.a. Bob. Orlando Ballet artistic director Robert Hill reveals quite the twist about Bob.
"He loses the shoe," he smiled. "And not her."
Lead dancer Arcadian Broad plays Bob.
"Definitely not made of glass," he laughed, referring to the shoe he loses, "which is quite dangerous."
These ballet dancers are used to performing with tracks. But this time, they get a live "big band" -- a 19-member, all-volunteer group of the Central Florida Community Arts.
"Think swing party, big band, dancing," said band leader Joshua Vickery, who's also the founder and executive director of the CFCA. "It's a very lush score. Lots of brass. Lots of big, big, big sounds."
"The energy, first of all, in the room is just, like, crazy," Robichaux added. "Being a ballet dancer, you're basically an actor without using your words... For me, I feel like the characters come out more genuine."
You have three chances to watch A Cinderella Story at the Dr. Phillips Center's Walt Disney Theater:
Fri., May 5 - 8 p.m.
Sat., May 6 - 8 p.m.
Sun., May 7 - 2 p.m.
Tickets start at $35.