Students at the School of Philadelphia Ballet perform a group dance number during their version of “Peter and the Wolf” at Croft Farm.
Cherry Hill recently hosted the first performance in its Ballet in the Park series at Croft Farm on Sept. 28.
The outdoor production of the classic tale, “Peter and the Wolf,” was performed by the School of Philadelphia Ballet and free to both residents and non-residents.
The performers are from the school’s pre-professional program, which allows individuals from ages 12 to 21 from all over the country – and some international students – to study ballet for hours a day while living in Philadelphia.
“This is the first time that we have held a ballet in the park,” Mayor Dave Fleisher told the Croft Farm audience, “and we weren’t sure what the turnout would be. But I’m looking at all of you and I think we made a pretty good decision.”
The farm grounds in front of the ballet stage were filled with several hundred guests on blankets or in camping chairs to watch and support the production.
“This is a community that can operate both competently and compassionately, that you can get things done, and at the same time, care about humanity, care about the arts, care about people and ultimately bring neighbors together,” Fleisher noted.
“Peter and the Wolf” was originally composed by Sergei Prokofiev as a way of getting young students introduced to classical music. The township production utilized the story’s original score, narration, choreography, costuming and puppetry.
Dancers portray the grandfather and Peter in a scene from “Peter and the Wolf.”
Dancers playing the “Peter and the Wolf” characters – from Peter to the animals in the story – were dressed in Cub Scout uniforms. The performance began with the narrator explaining that each character was represented by a different member of the orchestra, with Peter for strings, as an example, and the Bird for flute.
The story largely takes place in the meadow beyond the gate that separates Peter’s home garden from the outside world. One day, he leaves the gate open, despite his grandfather’s warnings about the wolf. Peter remains defiant and insists he doesn’t fear the animal.
The Croft Farm performance featured sparse sets and props, with only a small tent, a faux tree and campfire on stage, and the rest of the story pantomined by the dancers. The show was followed by a question-and-answer session with the young dancers led by Magge Hoelper, manager of the ballet school.
“‘Peter and the Wolf’ is an accessible story for all ages,” Hoepler noted. “I think the combination of the music, which is so iconic and inspirational, the storytelling and the ability to add dance as a form of communication really helps to inspire audiences to come to more ballet programs.”
