The Rockbridge Ballet performed Cinderella for their recital on Dec. 2 and 3. The show was unique to previous performances because it was completely ballet, whereas past performances included different styles of dance. Dancers performed in pointe shoes for the entire show, resulting in blisters and bruised toenails.

“Our teachers continually push to provide us with the best training possible, making obstacles like pointe work easy,” said junior Becca Russell, who played an evil stepsister.

The dancers learned the choreography in the middle of Aug. and finished in Oct. They focused on memorizing different pieces that fit into dances.

“Choreography personally challenges me because sometimes it is hard to remember multiple dance pieces,” said Emily Hellwig, another evil stepsister and a spring fairy.

Learning the choreography helps the dancers in other aspects of their lives.

“Being able to learn a lot of choreography in a short amount of time has helped me be able to memorize material for my classes,” said Hellwig.

Cinderella required acting in addition to dancing on stage. The dancers took on different roles for the show, including Cinderella, the evil stepsisters, the evil stepmother, and several other roles. The dancers were new to portraying evil roles and appreciated learning the new acting skills.

“My favorite part of the show is getting to be the evil stepmother because I get to play a darker character, which I’ve never gotten to do,” said Brianna Cash, who played the role of the evil stepmother.

“The performance went really well. Everyone felt confident, and the performance was strong for everybody,” said McKenzie Perkins, who played the fairy godmother.

Dance instructor, Devin Sweet, performed on stage with the ballerinas after teaching them choreography.

“I’m especially proud of the partner dancers since they are younger and have not had much partnering experience,” Sweet said.

The Rockbridge Ballet is a continual learning experience for the dancers. The dancers create lasting friendships and learn lessons with each rehearsal.

“Being a part of the Rockbridge Ballet has allowed me to grow and learn in a community that shares the same love for dance that I have,” said Elizabeth Grist. “It’s the little moments on stage-when you make eye contact with someone or cheer your friends on from the wings- that make all of our work worth it.”