Based on Charles Perrault's 1697 fairytale and Nikolai Volkov's libretto, the two-act family-friendly “Cinderella” was a smartly crafted, beautifully danced, and wonderfully entertaining ballet that was unique to the company. Bourtasenkov chose not to use Sergei Prokofiev's score for the ballet. Instead, he compiled a lively recorded soundtrack of music by composers Dmitry Kabalevsky, Aram Khachaturian, Gioachino Rossini, Alfred Schnittke, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Richard Georg Strauss. 

Bourtasenkov's traditional yet somewhat imaginative take on the Cinderella story featured a few new characters and scenes not often seen in other productions. Act One began with a funeral procession for Cinderella's father, attended by Cinderella (Anna Cole), her Stepmother (Lauren Stenroos), and Stepsisters (Erinn Crittenden and Alia Federico). At its conclusion, the once-mournful stepmother and stepsisters roughly pushed Cinderella to her knees, casting scowls at her, emphasizing her new lowly position in the family. 

The sense of oppression and isolation inform Cole's dancing and demeanor as Cinderella throughout the Act, as she is treated scornfully, mourning her father's death (Cinderella's mother is not referenced in the ballet), and daydreaming of a better life and dancing with a Prince at a grand ball.  

The ballet then kicked into high gear in a scene with the Stepsisters and Dance Master Levian Mondville. In it, Crittenden and Federico channeled their inner slapstick comediennes, à la Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett, to create over-the-top hilarity as they awkwardly tried to emulate the dance steps Mondville was trying to teach them.