San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet’s production of “Cinderella” on Oct. 30 and 31 will feature Melody Herrera and Ian Casady, highly acclaimed principal dancers with the Houston Ballet. SA Met’s 30-member company and 50 extra dancers will complete the cast. Replete with romance, comedy and magic, this fairytale ballet is guaranteed to entertain all ages.
Melody Herrera, a native of Santa Cruz, California, trained at Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre under Robert Kelley and Diane McLarty and at Pacific Northwest Ballet. She also attended summer intensive programs with Suzanne Farrell. At the age of 13, Herrera began her training with Houston Ballet's Ben Stevenson Academy.
Herrera joined the Houston Ballet in 2001 and was promoted to principal in 2008 where she has performed a number of featured roles, including Olga in John Cranko's “Onegin,” Sugar Plum Fairy in “The Nutcracker,” Odette/Odile in Stanton Welch's “Swan Lake,” the Spring Fairy in Ben Stevenson's “Cinderella,” Swanilda and Dawn in “Coppelia,” Valencienne in “The Merry Widow,” Cio-Cio San and Kate in “Madame Butterfly,” and Cinderella in Stanton Welch's “Cinderella”.
Stanton Welch has created several roles for Herrera, including the title role in his 2009 full-length ballet “Marie Antoinette,” Rosie in “The Core,” and Spring in “The Four Seasons”.
Ian Casady was born in Marin County, California, and received his training there under the guidance of David Roxander and Jody White at Dance Theater Seven. He joined the Houston Ballet in 1998 after studying at the Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy. Casady was promoted to soloist in 2002 and to principal dancer in 2007.
His principal roles in classical works include Marc Antony in Ben Stevenson’s “Cleopatra,” Romeo in Stevenson’s “Romeo and Juliet,” Frederick in Stevenson’s “Dracula,” the Prince in Stevenson’s “Cinderella,” the Prince in Stevenson’s “The Nutcracker,” Pinkerton in Stanton Welch’s “Madame Butterfly,” Dandini in Welch’s “Cinderella,” Prince Siegfried in Welch’s “Swan Lake,” and James in Auguste Bournonville’s “La Sylphide” in a production staged by Johnny Eliason. This year, Casady created the role of King Louis Auguste in Stanton Welch’s world premiere of the full-length ballet, “Marie Antoinette”.
Casady has also danced principal roles in George Balanchine’s “Symphony in C” and “La Valse;” Trey McIntyre’s “Second Before The Ground” and “Peter Pan;” Paul Taylor’s “Company B;” Stevenson’s “Twilight,” “Four Last Songs” and “Five Poems;” and Welch’s “Indigo,” “Velocity,” “Falling,” “Red Earth,” and “A Doll’s House”. Casady was a finalist in the 2002 Jackson International Ballet Competition and is proud to have been a founding member of the Dominic Walsh Dance Theater.
The performances will be at 7 p.m. on Oct. 30 and 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 31 at the Municipal Auditorium. Tickets are $20, $25 and $30 for adults; $15 for children 12 and under; and $15 for seniors 65 and older. Group and military discounts are available. Tickets may be purchased via Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. Since it is Halloween weekend, attendees are encouraged to wear costumes.
San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet, a non-profit performing arts company that nurtures regional talent, is in its 26th season of presenting classical and contemporary works. For more information about “Cinderella” or San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet, please call (210) 656-1334 or visit www.sametballet.org.