Last month, Spokane Arts announced the most recent winners of the Spokane Arts Grant Award. SAGA Awards, as they’re called, give individuals or organizations up to $10,000 to fund a project or cover operations costs. One of this round’s recipients is the Spokane Youth Ballet, led by artistic director Naomi Hanvey.
‘“The first thing I thought of was well, let’s do some school shows. And the ballet that came to my mind immediately was Peter and the Wolf. It’s great for teaching kids about music because the instruments are introduced to the audience as each instrument represents a character. And it’s just a really fun story. It’s a happy adventure. It’s very funny. And I thought, this is something that would really resonate with a young audience. We should do this.”
During a classroom performance, students will learn about the distinctive musical themes in Peter and the Wolf and their corresponding choreography in the ballet.
“We started off by talking about movement and different types of movements we use in dance. And to encourage kids to come up with their own movement. How would you represent a duck? How would you show that you are a strong, brave boy who is not afraid of wolves?”
In addition to their educational performances in schools, the SAGA funding will allow the Spokane Youth Ballet to stage a professional-level performance ofPeter and the Wolf at the Bing Crosby Theater on Saturday, January 11th. Tickets are on sale now through Tickets West, and SYB is open to any teachers or schools who are interested in a classroom visit. For more information, email spokaneyouthballet@gmail.com.