A quick Q&A with Varna Ballet Company’s Pedro Paredes
Ahead of the company’s performance of Cinderella at Bradford Live, we caught up with one of their stars to talk ballet, fairytales and dancing ...
What makes the Varna Ballet Company so special and different?
The difference between the Varna Ballet and the rest of the companies is that we are a really young group from different countries with multiple ballet techniques.
What is so special about the Cinderella story?
From my point of view, the music in this ballet is the most special thing. The counts are really different – compared to, for instance, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker – and I also find it really beautiful the passion that the prince has in finding the owner of the lost shoe (Cinderella) because of how he felt while dancing with her.
How is the Varna Ballet Company approaching the Cinderella story?
It’s really similar to the original story that everybody knows – Cinderella is just a girl with a really mean stepmother and stepsisters until one day the fairy godmother and her six fairy’s show up to show her the four different seasons and get her ready to go to the ball.
There she meets the fated prince but at 12 at night the clocks start ticking meaning that the magic is gone. After that the prince goes all around the world to search for her.
At the end he finds out that Cinderella is the one he fell in love with and the story ends with them together.
Who are you playing and how have you interpreted the character for the show?
In Cinderella, I normally play the red fairy, a really energetic character who tries to bring joy and happiness to everyone who’s watching them dance.
How did you end up in ballet?
I started pretty young because I was a really energetic kid and I always needed to be doing something. So, one day, my parents decided to send me to a ballet class and since then I loved everything about it.
What’s the best thing about your job?
For me the best part about doing ballet is the feeling of reaching the steps that you were not able to do, knowing that you’re not only improving everyday but that nothing is impossible.
What’s on your culture list for 2026?
I would love to be able to watch a production of the Royal Ballet or the Australian Ballet. As for theatre, I’ll enjoy Wicked or Moulin Rouge and talking about music. Right now I’m really enjoying hearing Sienna Spiro – her voice is incredible.
Cinderella by the Varna Ballet Company is at Bradford Live on Tuesday January 2026. Tickets available here.
That observation about Cinderella's counts beingdifferent from Swan Lake and Nutcracker is the kind of technical detail that rarely makes it into Q&As. The idea of bringing multiple ballet traditions together in one young company sounds ideal for tackling Cinderella, which kind alot more narrative complexity than people give it credit for. The red fairy characterization as pure energi is a nice touch too.