The first thing my eyes settled upon as I walked into the concert hall was the graceful form of Cinderella performing her first piece to a musical score composed by Sergei Prokofiev in 1944. I had never attended a ballet before, but I could practically taste the excitement in the air as the rehearsal began.

The main storyline follows the more well-known version of Cinderella written in 1697 by Charles Perrault. Cinderella is often pushed around by her Stepsisters for her beauty and graciousness, but continues to treat others with a compassionate heart.

One day, an invitation for a lavish ball arrives from the Royal Palace. Although the Stepsisters don’t allow Cinderella to attend, the Fairy Godmother appears to transform her rag dress into an exquisite gown and sends her on her merry way.

Cinderella dances the night away with the Prince before the spell wears off at midnight. Leaving only a ballet slipper behind, Cinderella runs away. The Prince travels around the world to find the pair of feet that would fit in the slipper, eventually locating Cinderella in her cottage and living happily ever after together.

Despite the similarities, there was a remarkable twist. The whole story was adapted by Septime Webre to be told using only ballet.

I had expected there to be some singing or speaking. None came. When I finally realized that the actors were communicating by movement and gestures instead of dialogue, I became even more interested in the play.

Each dance told a different part of the story. Complimentary music and lighting were brought out to complete the feel of each event that occurred.

There were also props and settings for the performers to use. There was the kitchen, where Cinderella’s story begins; the garden, where Cinderella meets her Fairy Godmother; and the Royal Palace, where Cinderella and the prince fell in love.

When I checked the time during the two intermissions, I could hardly believe that almost an hour had passed since the previous break. It was absolutely absorbing, even though I had already heard the story of Cinderella hundreds of times. Before I knew it, the play had ended.

As I left the building, I could still hear lots of excited chatter. I saw more than a few audience members twirling around and mimicking some of the performers’ movements. One was an enthusiastic little girl who had screamed “Bravo!” over and over at the end of the play.

Overall, I felt the same.

(You still have time to enjoy Ballet Hawaii’s full production of Cinderella featuring choreography by Septime Webre, Artistic Director of The Washington Ballet. There are shows Saturday, August 10 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday August 11 at 2:00 pm at Blaisdell Concert Hall. Tickets are on sale Now and start at $35.00.)