The Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Ballet Guild of the Lehigh Valley presented its spring production with two short ballets, \u201cCarnival of the Animals\u201d and \u201cThe Four Seasons\u201d at each performance, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. May 23, Baker Hall, Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University.<\/p>\n
More than 70 dancers performed in the production with choreography by Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Ballet Guild of the Lehigh Valley Artistic Director Karen Kroninger Knerr.<\/p>\n
\u201cPennsylvania Youth Ballet\u2019s goal is to establish a repertoire of ballets for our spring performances. After 10 years it was time to restage this,\u201d says Knerr, who originally choreographed and produced the ballets in 2016.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarnival of the Animals,\u201d written in 1886 by French composer Camille Saint-Saens, is a light-hearted musical suite described as a \u201cgrand zoological fantasy\u201d with individual movements representing different animals.<\/p>\n
While sometimes referred to as a symphonic poem, the original score did not include words or narration. In 1949, poet Ogden Nash wrote verses to accompany the score.<\/p>\n
The Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Ballet Guild of the Lehigh Valley \u201cCarnival of the Animals\u201d production included a new narration by Kristopher Yoder, who wrote poems to introduce each piece. Yoder played Herr Drosselmeyer in Pennsylvania Youth Ballet\u2019s annual \u201cNutcracker\u201d and Dr. Coppelius in its production of \u201cCoppelia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fun. [The narration] really describes what\u2019s going on, both musically and with the dancers,\u201d Knerr says in a phone interview.<\/p>\n
As for adapting an orchestral work to the stage, Knerr says, \u201cThe process is really just listening to the music over and over and digesting the score. I find that it easily translates to movement.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s staged as a carnival scene. There are a small tent and a fishbowl game onstage. We use a lot of digital projection which lends to the scene and the sets,\u201d says Knerr.<\/p>\n
Represented in the whimsical ballet are a lion, hens, roosters, elephants, a cuckoo bird and more. Dancers will be dressed like children at a carnival.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs each dance progresses, you\u2019ll be able to understand the animal characters,\u201d Knerr says.<\/p>\n
\u201cSaint-Saens did so much with that music and tucked away some hidden things, like the Turtles [scene] is actually a can-can dance, just slowed down. So naturally, I took a can-can step and slowed it for the dancers in that piece.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Four Seasons,\u201d written by composer Antonio Vivaldi in 1725, is comprised of four violin concertos that give musical expression to the seasons of the year. Each season represents a stage of human life, from infancy to old age.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach season has three movements,\u201d says Knerr. \u201cWith the second movement of each piece being more of an adagio.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spring will present a youthful pas de deux and Summer a vibrant, prime-of-one\u2019s-life dance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a real storyline through it,\u201d Knerr says.<\/p>\n
Digital projections were created by lighting designer Justin Burns. \u201cHe created these for us, which is just wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two short ballets were performed at each performance, with an intermission in between each ballet.<\/p>\n
A free \u201cMeet-and-Greet\u201d was held after each performance. Children and adults could join the dancers for photographs and a behind-the-scenes view of the production.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe meet-and-greet is something that we\u2019ve started to do with all our spring productions,\u201d says Knerr. \u201cIt really is a great opportunity for audience members to meet the dancers and the cast that have just performed for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Student dancers performing in \u201cCarnival of the Animals,\u201d the Swans dance: Andy Alulis, 19, Whitehall High School graduate, and Isabel Stana, Lehigh Valley Charter Arts High School senior.<\/p>\n
Performing in \u201cThe Four Seasons\u201d Spring pas de deux: Francesca Reto, home school, junior, and Aidan Lazo, Parkland High School senior.<\/p>\n
Also performing the pas de deux: Marley Gidusko, Lehigh Valley Charter Arts sophomore, and Andy Alulis.<\/p>\n
The Summer solo was performed by EllaMary Groller, Lehigh Valley Charter Arts sophomore.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to do family-friendly ballets, which this certainly is,\u201d says Knerr. \u201cIt\u2019s very educational as well, especially with the \u2018Carnival of the Animals\u2019 and the poems. I love the narration.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCarnival of the Animals,\u201d \u201cThe Four Seasons,\u201d 1 p.m., 4 p.m. May 23, Baker Hall, Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, 420 E. Packer Avenue, Bethlehem. Tickets: Zoellner Arts Center box office; 610-758-2787; https:\/\/zoellner.cas.lehigh.edu\/<\/p>\n
PHOTO BY HUB WILLSON\u201cCarnival of the Animals,\u201d The Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Ballet Guild of the Lehigh Valley, 1 p.m., 4 p.m. May 23, Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University.<\/p>\n
PHOTO BY HUB WILLSON\u201cThe Four Seasons,\u201d The Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Ballet Guild of the Lehigh Valley, 1 p.m., 4 p.m. May 23, Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Ballet Guild of the Lehigh Valley presented its spring production with two short…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":200935,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120],"class_list":["post-200934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=200934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200934\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/200935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=200934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=200934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=200934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}