"Cinderella" is Prokofiev's eighth ballet, following "Romeo and Juliet." The name "Cinderella" (English: Cinderella) means "little ash girl," and it is called "Cendrillon" in French and "Zolushka" (Золушка) in Russian.

A characteristic feature of this ballet as a whole is the appearance of 18th-century Western European dance forms. Pas de deux, gavotte, waltz, pavane, passepied, bourrée, mazurka, and galop appear, and each character also has their own variation (a ballet term for a solo dance).

Prokofiev began work on this piece based on Volkov's libretto in 1941. Due to events such as the outbreak of World War II, the composition was carried out intermittently. It was completed three years later in 1944 and dedicated to Tchaikovsky.

Op. 95, the first arrangement for piano solo, consists of three movements: Intermezzo, Gavotte, and Slow Waltz. It is the smallest of the three "Cinderella" suites for piano solo. The title of the first movement, "Intermezzo," means interlude, but in the original ballet, it appears under the title "Dance of the Courtiers." This is the scene where the setting shifts to the ballroom, and the courtiers perform a lively dance in a harmonious atmosphere. The "Gavotte" is a dance in moderate tempo, typically in 4/4 (or 2/2) time. This gavotte is first heard in the scene where the stepmother calls a dance teacher for Cinderella's stepsisters, who are preparing for the ball, and they receive instruction. Afterwards, Cinderella, left behind at home, dances alone, recalling the gavotte she had just witnessed; despite only observing, she dances far more gracefully than her stepsisters. The "Slow Waltz" is played in a crucial scene towards the end of the story, where the Prince and Cinderella are reunited. Its emotional melody is as if the two are conversing, a beautiful waltz that seems to overflow with their passionate feelings.