Nashville Ballet will begin its 26th season with a preview presentation of their fall production, Cinderella. The event will be hosted by the Greater Nashville Prime Timers and OutCentral at the Ballet studios in West Nashville Friday, Sept. 30.

"My main goal of course is to expand Primetimers," Dawidjan says. "Initially this was just going to be a small event. I asked Paul (Vasterling, Nashville Ballet's CEO/Artistic Director) if he'd be interested in doing an event with the Primetimers and he said he'd be happy to."

As a preview of their popular cantata Carmina Burana, the Nashville Ballet co-presented an event last April with the Nashville GLBT Chamber of Commerce. The sneak peek of Cinderella will be very similar in nature, Dawidjan says.

"There will be food and drinks before the presentation, and then we'll all go into the main rehearsal room for the performance," Dawidjan says.

Participants attending the preview will see an excerpt from the classical ballet about a poor, lonely girl who finds a new life with the help of four magic fairies. With original choreography from Vasterling, Cinderella features a handsome prince and two ugly stepsisters played by men dancing in pointe shoes. The performance includes 18th Century period costumes in contemporary color palettes and impressionist sets. A youth cast of dancers will add bumblebees, flowers, ladybugs and snow angels to the whimsical fairy tale.

“Opening our doors to the Primetimers gives us an opportunity to learn about their organization and its members while in turn giving them an inside glimpse into our world of inspiring others through dance," says Jim Johnson, Nashville Ballet's Director of Sales and Marketing.

"I think there are a lot of gay people who enjoy ballet, maybe a higher proportion than (other communities)," Dawidjan says. "I thought it would be nice for the Nashville Ballet to present themselves at a special event and preview their up-and-coming programming. This is going to be a very special preview of the Ballet."