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The Makaroff Youth Ballet will be performing “Peter and The Wolf” as an educational series performance at the Fox Cities P.A.C on January 29. The performance is open to Appleton and Shawano School District students in grades 1 through 3. 

Makaroff Youth Ballet is partnering with the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra in their presentation of the famous tale. Students will explore how music conveys story and emotion while watching characters come to life through dance. 

“Peter and the Wolf is part of the curriculum in most schools for first grade general music, and it also translates into a wonderful ballet,” says Makaroff Executive Director Katy Hopp. “We are pairing the sounds and instruments from the orchestra with movement which really works for that young audience.” 

There will be two performances of “Peter and the Wolf” for students that day. Hopp says the performances will serve as an introduction to ballet for many students. 

“Most students don’t have access to ballet in the Fox Cities, they’re travelling to Milwaukee and Madison to see any level of professional ballet,” she says. “Makaroff Youth Ballet is a pre-professional program, it’s made up of students but it’s truly classical ballet. So it’s a great opportunity to introduce young students to that art form.”

Along with the 25-minute performance, students will also get the opportunity to see the snow scene from “The Nutcracker” as well as other small performances. “Peter and the Wolf” is supported in part by a grant from the Bright Idea Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region and the Mielke Family Foundation.

Makaroff Youth Ballet will join the Appleton BoyChoir for a collaborative concert, “A Spoonful of Sugar,” on May 8 and 9. The concert will feature songs from blockbuster movies including Annie, Pinocchio, The Sound of Music and even the Muppet Movie. Makaroff Ballet dancers will finish the performance which is a celebration of music and movement from the great moments of stage and screen.

For more information on upcoming Makaroff Youth Ballet performances, visit makaroffyouthballet.org.