Amal Choucri Catta tiptoes through dainty daffodils Wizard Harry and the Snow Queen, Kharkov Children's Ballet Company, Ukraine, Cairo and Alexandria Opera Houses, from 21 to 26 November, 11am and 6pm There were flowers and snowflakes, witches and gnomes and sweet little glowworms on the opera's main stage as the Ukrainian Wizard Harry and the Snow Queen captured the audience's attention. It was an audience composed mostly of young people, groups of children and teenagers accompanied by their teachers. Over a thousand children were in the auditorium, in a variety of uniforms. Mostly silent as they trotted into the main hall, their chatter grew in volume as they waited for the performance to start. When it did, at 11 sharp as announced, a deafening cry arose from all the kids, in a spontaneous greeting, accompanied by whistles and shouts welcoming the Ukrainian performers. Suddenly all was quiet as the audience sat, wide- eyed and open-mouthed, watching the wizard and his dancers. Flyers and leaflets distributed by the opera before the performances announced "Harry Potter, Russian Ballet Season, Children's Ballet Theatre". Adults among the audience were surprised to discover they would not be applauding Harry Potter but Wizard Harry, an original Russian Harry, in an original Russian tale, with Russian costumes and dances performed to a recorded score comprising composers from the 19th to the 21st centuries. The performers were all members of the Kharkov children's Ballet Company in the Ukraine, founded over 40 years ago and where children from three to 17 are trained. All was quiet in the Main Hall as the curtain rose on a backdrop of snowy mountain tops and stairs rising into pink skies: the colours were joyful and the dancers, in their pretty costumes, as bonny as the yellow sunrays struggling through the morning mist. Love was in the air as the beautiful Gerd, executing some graceful pirouettes, met handsome Kay. Gleb Kolmogorov and Euvgenia Shevchenko, the two young lovers, are promising dancers, visibly on their way to stardom. In their spotless white costumes they evoked a world of peace and happiness. But, unfortunately for Gerd and Kay, there was the Snow Queen. In the monarch's grey palace maids in grey costumes greeted their queen with an enchanting dance. She was a gorgeous, powerful lady, a brilliant dancer, but she was incapable of love. As she looked through her crystal ball into the human world she saw Kay and Gerd's happy smiles and decided that she wanted Kay for herself. According to the queen love does not exist, it never did, and never will. As the stage grew dark at the end of the performance's first part, the opera's young audience roared, clapped and whistled in appreciation before abruptly falling silent while spotlights flooded the stage and the second part began. Sitting alone amidst all those youngsters I pondered whether the children were not a better audience than the adults. These tiny tots knew instinctively when to shout and applaud: they never chose a wrong moment and their reaction was spontaneous and quite overwhelming. They also knew when to be quiet and to watch the spectacle while visibly enjoying every minute of it. Some of them even tried to imitate the movements of the dancers' hands while softly humming to the music. In the end, I was quite fascinated by the young audience. The children were more disciplined in the company of their teachers than when they attend shows with their families. The morning performances were loud but more enjoyable and disciplined than the evening ones. Quiet and concentrated at the opening of the second part of the show, the children watch a scene that opened on New Year's Eve, with the traditional tree and a snowy backdrop, and a clock about to strike midnight. Kay and Gerd appear as happy as ever; each one has a gift for the other: one red rose for Kay and another for Gerd. The music is charming, the dances quite modern, the pas-de-deux enchanting and the mood colourful. Suddenly an icy whirlwind freezes everyone on stage and the Snow Queen appears to Kay, showering him with promises of riches and the fulfillment of all his dreams. As in a trance, he follows her, and Gerd soon discovers she has lost her loved one. At this point the clock strikes 12 and Wizard Harry in his black and silver cloak appears once again to stop earth's time and to help Gerd find Kay. Nikita Maskalets is a tall, elegant, brilliant dancer, perfect in the role of Wizard Harry, who turns the human year into a fairy-tale year, hoping to give Gerd enough time to be reunited with Kay. However, in her castle, the Snow Queen sends all kinds of trolls and gnomes to stop Gerd from meeting Kay though Gerd, undisturbed by all the fuss around her, goes on her way. She enters springtime, the first fairy-tale season, with its fresh blossoms, refreshing breezes and lovely dances. Glittering green glowworms are prancing around her when suddenly everything disappears and she is left alone with Wizard Harry who helps her out of Dreamland. It is summertime in fairyland, and Joy, the master of Pleasure Land, in his multicoloured costume, greets Gerd with jokes and unending laughter. Joy is also an acrobat and his performance is witty and funny, giving Gerd a whale of a time. A melody reminds her of Kay and she decides to continue her search for him. Summer ends and autumn sets in with lights turning grey and a mysterious palace appearing on the backdrop. It is the home of the mountain king, an evil man who tries to stop Gerd from going on her way. Trolls and witches perform a savage dance but Wizard Harry saves Gerd. Suddenly she finds herself in wintertime, at the Snow Queen's palace. The mood is cold and grey as Gerd starts a fight with the queen who has bewitched Kay. Gerd throws the red rose at him and he remembers their love. Joyfully they leave the Snow Queen's palace and return to their human friends. Fairy-time is over, the lovers are happy and Wizard Harry overjoyed. Everyone dances and as the curtain falls, the kids roar with glee. It was a lovely show: next season there will hopefully be another.
