Cinderella
Scottish Country Dance Instruction
Cinderella32 bar Jig for 2 Couples in a 4 Couple Set, original deviser unknown c. 2010, modified by Stephen Webb, 2022.
Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams
Dance Instruction Videos
Cinderella - Scottish Country Dancing Instruction VideoDance Information
Cinderella, or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world. The protagonist is a young girl living in forsaken circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune, with her ascension to the throne via marriage.The story of Rhodopis, recounted by the Greek geographer Strabo sometime between 7 BC and AD 23, about a Greek slave girl who marries the king of Egypt, is usually considered to be the earliest known variant of the Cinderella story.
Cinderella, tells the enchanting story of a young girl's journey from rags to riches, filled with magical moments and lasting lessons.
The narrative introduces us to Cinderella, a kind and gentle soul, cruelly mistreated by her wicked stepmother and stepsisters after her father's untimely death. Reduced to a servant in her own home, Cinderella finds solace in the company of friendly animals.
Her life takes a magical turn when her fairy godmother appears, transforming Cinderella's tattered attire into a magnificent gown and ordinary pumpkins into a glittering carriage. The only condition: she must leave the royal ball before midnight, when the enchantment will wear off.
At the grand ball, Cinderella captures the heart of the charming Prince with her grace and beauty. However, as the clock strikes midnight, she flees, leaving behind a delicate glass slipper. The Prince, determined to find his mysterious love, embarks on a kingdom-wide search, fitting the glass slipper on every maiden.
The glass slipper fits Cinderella perfectly, revealing her true identity. The Prince and Cinderella are joyfully reunited, marking the beginning of their "happily ever after."
Beyond its magical facade, Cinderella's story tells timeless lessons about kindness and resilience. Despite facing adversity, Cinderella remains gentle and compassionate, ultimately triumphing over hardship.
Cinderella stays popular because people from different ages can relate to it, captivating hearts with its magical narrative and imparting valuable life lessons that continue to inspire readers and audiences worldwide.
The twelfth-century AD lai of Le Fresne ("The Ash-Tree Girl"), retold by Marie de France, is another variant of the "Cinderella" story in which a wealthy noblewoman abandons her infant daughter at the base of an ash tree outside a nunnery with a ring and brocade as tokens of her identity because she is one of twin sisters - the mother fears that she will be accused of infidelity (according to popular belief, twins were evidence of two different fathers).
The infant is discovered by the porter, who names her Fresne, meaning "Ash Tree", and she is raised by the nuns. After she has attained maturity, a young nobleman sees her and becomes her lover. The nobleman, however, is forced to marry a woman of noble birth. Fresne accepts that she will never marry her beloved but waits in the wedding chamber as a handmaiden.
She covers the bed with her own brocade but, unbeknownst to her, her beloved's bride is actually her twin sister, and her mother recognizes the brocade as the same one she had given to the daughter she had abandoned so many years before.
Fresne's true parentage is revealed and, as a result of her noble birth, she is allowed to marry her beloved, while her twin sister is married to a different nobleman.
Marie De France, Richard of Verdun (fl. from 1288 until 1327), Illuminated Manuscript
Dance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Cinderella article on Wikipedia.
Image copyright Richard of Verdun, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Back to the top of this Scottish Country Dancing Instructions 'Cinderella' page