State Street Ballet delivered a sparkling Cinderella at The Granada over the weekend, marking a genuine triumph for artistic director and choreographer Rodney Gustafson.

Cinderella was performed instead of the originally scheduled production of The Jungle Book. Ballet companies, like everybody else, have had to cope with the results of the economic downturn.

Happily, the substitution was one to which no devotee of ballet could object. Gustafson’s choreography here was simply inspired. This work showed his characteristic flair, but with a deepening maturity.

Considering the carryings-on of the wicked step-sisters, maturity might not be the right word. More about that below. First, laurels must go to South American ballerina Ezlimar Dortolina as Cinderella and the company’s own Spencer Gavin as her prince. They were enchanting, with Dortolina spending almost the entire second act en pointe, breathtakingly.

As for the aforementioned step-sisters, they were perfectly horrid and perfectly hilarious, as portrayed by Sergei Domrachev and John Christopher Piel. Piel played one step-sister as a homely, gawky soi dissant flirt, coyly fussing with her curls and batting her eyelashes. Domrachev was utterly outrageous, pushy, vulgar, his skirts always threatening to fly up, his saucy, over-lipsticked mouth making moues at a furious pace. Domrachev trained at Russia’s Perm Ballet Academy and is a technically impeccable dancer. This makes his clowning more than mere bufoonery; it truly is art.

The step-mother was beautifully (and nastily) limned by Marina Fliagina, who is one of the company’s ballet masters. The other ballet master is Gary McKenzie, who danced the role of, yes, the court ballet naster in this production.

The music of Sergei Prokofiev has sweep and grandeur, and also charm, by turns. Gustafson’s choreography made the most of it. Children from Gustafson Dance were remarkably disciplined as mice, butterflies and owls, while remaining adorable throughout. They included youngsters named Ashton Gustafson, Leeza Domracheva and Sasha Domrachev as Cupid. Fortunately, these apples have not fallen far from their respective trees. Allison Gustafson was credited with staging for the children’s dances.

There are simply too many dancers to name in this space. However, several other standouts included the wonderful danseurs nobles Bayaraa Badamsambuu and Jose Edwin Gonzalez, and ballerinas Leila Drake, Alyson Mattoon and Jennifer Rowe. David Bazemore created the animation design that produced magical stage effects. A. Christine Giannini dreamed up the snazzy costumes, and the sets were created by Jean-Francois Revon.

Several years ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing the Perm Ballet’s Cinderella at the Arlington Theatre. It as a lovely piece of classic Russian art. This Cinderella, with Gustafson’s original stamp on it, is at least the Perm’s equal, if not its superior.

Gustafson did not take a bow at the Sunday matinee performance. But he deserved one many times over.

Margo Kline covers the arts as a Noozhawk contributor.