Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet

Snow White

Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet
Akron Civic Theatre
March 10 & 11, 2007

The Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet presented the world premier Snow White on March 10th and 11th, 2007. It was a truly unique experience for the whole family, helping to continue to fulfill its mission of educating children in the arts by offering “original ballets performed by children for children.”

This ballet was choreographed especially for the CVYB by Laszlo Berdo, renowned former principal dancer with the Boston Ballet. As accompaniment to his original choreography, William Wade, a world class musician, created an original score for this delightful fairy tale. A live orchestra, conducted by Mr. Wade, accompanied this production.

This classic fairytale came to life as Snow White tries to escape the wicked queen's evil ways and befriends many animals, birds, and, of course seven dwarfs and a prince, along the way. Beautiful costumes and scenic backdrops added to the artistry of the dancers and created an unforgettable vision. Principal roles were danced by the talented and classically trained CVYB members. Featured dancers in Snow White included Ashley Klinger, a senior at Walsh Jesuit High School, as the queen; Ingrid McGuckin, a home schooled sophomore, and Sarah McCarthy, a senior at Our Lady of the Elms, sharing the role of Snow White; and Morgan Stinnett, a former CVYB dancer and a freshman at Point Park in Pittsburgh, PA, made a special guest appearance as the Prince.

In addition, there was a very special performance of George Balanchine’s Scherzo à la Russe. The Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet is one of only two pre-professional youth ballets in the county to be chosen by the Balanchine Trust to perform a work by this Master. Set to Igor Stravinsky's music, this short dance evokes the women's folk groups of Balanchine and Stravinsky's native Russia. Ashley Klinger and Katie Spagnoletti, a junior at Hudson High School, were the principal dancers leading the two groups of village maids in Scherzo. One Balanchine dancer described the ballet saying "The whole thing is a smile."

The program also sparkled with the return of Karen Gabay’s neo-classical work Wand of Youth. The Wand of Youth is set to the music by Edward Elgar and is a charming reflection of youthful innocence, dreams and imagination. The dancers' energy expressed the varied tempo and mood of the music throughout the five pieces.