Burklyn Youth Ballet this year chose to advertise themselves as a children's show, not as a ballet or musical, and this has played well to their advantage. Travelling from all across the USA, this is a very well performed show, in particular considering they only had 4 weeks of rehearsal time. I was unnerved at the start when a pre-show announcement described some of the dance moves and routines, almost looking like a parody with silly hand gestures representing death and evil. Furthermore the cringe-worthy announcement that the dark and scary trees would be played as happy moonbeams that fought off evil left me wary of what was to come.This was however very successful as a kid's show. The dancing was well accomplished and the choreography, while simple, was still quite a spectacle. The story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was told very effectively, backed by a well selected range of famous classical music tracks. It is near impossible to find a ballet to take children too, and this show allowed the kids to chat and question what was going on, finding their feet in a new area of entertainment. The company is to be admired in providing a chance for children and parents to have this no-frills introduction to ballet. Nevertheless, it's not always easy for them to understand all that is going on, and parents who take their children to this show must expect to be grilled. It held the children's attention as much as a normal ballet holds my attention which is very impressive, meaning that while it could have all fallen apart with screaming children, it did not. Take your kids to this show if you want to introduce them to ballet, it will not be a really easy ride, but it is a good opportunity that can only be found at the Fringe.
