Mice-turned-steed, pumpkin-turned-coach, rags-turned-ball-gown, a handsome prince and a beautiful mystery woman.

It's all here in this weekend's production of "Cinderella" at the Old Town Temecula Community Theater, everything you've come to expect of the classic fairytale ballet.

Well, almost everything.

"One of the ugly stepsisters is a uglier than you'd expect. It's me," said James Miller, who dances one of the evil roles.

Not that it would come as such a surprise to a follower of classical ballet.

"In all the major ballet companies, guys do the stepsisters," Miller said.

Why? Because it's funny.

"That's their job. They're the comedy relief," said Miller. "I asked to do the part. I always do the prince. I wanted to do something different."

This is the third production under the aegis of the Inland Valley Classical Ballet Theater, a group formed, said Svetlana Waisman, "Cinderella" choreographer and owner of Svetlana's Dance Academy, to bring ballet to Southwest County.

That's not just any ballet, but classical ballet, a form of dance composed of a collection of well-defined moves, precisely and smoothly executed.

Waisman said she spearheaded the drive to form the Inland Valley Classical Ballet Theater to bring just such ballet to the community.

"To go see a performance of classical ballet, you would have to drive to a big venue. This is something I felt very strongly we needed to do."

Waisman said "Cinderella" will stick to the classical lines of the folktale ballet, though Prokofiev's composition will be replaced by an eclectic mix of music from multiple composers.

"It is too advanced for children," she said of Prokofiev's score.

All of the dancers for "Cinderella" were drawn from Waisman's studio except the lead dancers, who are paid.

Dancing the part of Cinderella will be Miller's wife, Robin, while Ahita Ardalau, former principal dancer with the Paris Opera -- where she once danced with Russian ballet star Rudolph Nureyev -- will take the part of the evil stepmother.

Marie Fourney will take the role of Cinderella for one show. She has been a student at the academy for six years. This will be her first major role.

Celeste Texor, a member of the Inland Valley Ballet Theater board of directors, said she got involved because her daughter is a student at Svetlana's studio and because she believes the Southwest County has grown to the point it requires ballet, but not enough to support it independently -- not without a bit of a push anyway.

"It's the sort of performance you'd see in Los Angeles," she said.

As part of the effort, Texor said the board hopes to lure other teachers to the area, as well as create a company that will draw major dancers.

Robin Miller said she is back for another go at a Svetlana ballet because she loves it, especially Cinderella.

"I love doing 'Cinderella,'" she said. "I really get into it."

She has been dancing since she was 5 yeas old, though she took a five-year break when she turned 15. She picked it up again when she was 20 years old and has danced several roles with the academy.