(synth music) (lively string music) (dramatic string music) This year, the talented Interlochen Arts Academy dance students have taken on a classic: Sergei Prokofiev's "Cinderella" ballet.

Bringing this fairytale on stage takes a lot of creative collaboration.

Here's Interlochen Center for the Arts Director of Dance, Joseph Morrissey.

- This is a huge production that of course involves the dancers but we also have some theater students, a large production crew, and of course the costume and technical teams as well, working behind the scenes to make all of this magic come alive.

The set pieces for "Cinderella" are custom made including a magic mirror, a staircase where "Cinderella" descends upon the ball and of course, a spectacular pumpkin carriage.

- Coming here and witnessing the spotlights and the sound and the tech and the carriage and the backdrops and the costumes, it really just makes you feel like Prince Charming.

- The dress for the ball is, honestly probably my favorite part because I actually feel like a princess.

It's so magical and it just helps me get into the character, which also helps translate to the dancing.

(dramatic orchestral music) Everything, honestly, it's really, really magical and it feels like I'm in a fairy tale the whole time.

(dramatic orchestral music) - I really like the garden scene.

I think it's really pretty.

I love all the costumes and the dances like the four seasons, I just think they're so pretty.

And my solo in the ballroom scene, it's very goofy, it's very silly, it's very obnoxious along with my costume so I really like that part too.

- [Host] Interlochen reached out to Ukrainian seamstress and costumer Galina Krasovskya for some of the dancers' eye catching ensembles.

- The costumes that we are seeing from the Ukraine include Cinderella's ball gown and a wonderful cape that coordinates with it, the fairy godmother's transformation dress.

And then all of the season fairies, so spring, summer, autumn and winter and their corresponding male cavalier dancers.

- [Host] For Director of Dance, Joseph Morrissey, this year's production has presented opportunities to try different ways to tell the classic story.

- I can imagine at times it's challenging because every day I come in with a new idea or I'll change an idea that I had the day before.

So it's very important for dancers to be open-minded and ready to receive, knowing that it's all in the best interest to showcase them in their best light.

(audience applauding) - I really enjoy the instructors here at Interlochen because they really focus on pushing the dancers.

Like me, for instance, I've never gotten a super big lead role in a ballet before this year, actually.

And then I got Clara and Dew Drop and now Fairy Godmother which I'm just so grateful and I just didn't think it would happen to me but they made it happen and they pushed me to do it and they obviously taught me a lot.

- [Host] And the gratitude of the dancers truly shines on stage.

- I love dance, I love these story ballets.

I love being able to reach out to an audience and touch them with my art forum.

And on top of that, I just love the interdisciplinary connection that we have here at Interlochen with all these different aspects of the theater coming together to make the ballet work.

So that has definitely been something that I have fallen in love with over the past three years.

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