The University of Akron Dance Institute hosted the production of “The Snow Maiden” on Feb. 2, at EJ Thomas Hall.

“The Snow Maiden” is an opera composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1881 and has since been adapted into new formats as time went on. UA performed a ballet adaptation of the original opera, with incidental music by Tchaikovsky.

In an email interview, the current manager of The Dance Institute Christina Foise said, “Lana Carroll Heylock, a previous manager of Dance Institute, first produced this original story ballet in 1998.”

The show has since been performed every other year during the winter months as an attraction for University students.

According to Foise, Heylock brought “The Snow Maiden” to UA to enhance the Dance Institute students’ education with a “dynamic and valuable performance experience as part of their training”.

This year’s production had, “47 Dance Institute students, two UA college students, one guest artist from Neos Dance Theatre, and two Dance Institute faculty will be on the EJ stage in this production,” Foise said.

Foise also gave thanks to the crew backstage during the performance.

“There are also close to a dozen other people backstage behind the scenes who are a very important part of making the production happen,” Foise said.

Foise said the performances by the Dance Institute are used to as a way to enhance training for the dancers. The pre-professional and pre-ballet students have two performances during the academic year, along with another performance opportunity for the pre-professional students.

‘The Snow Maiden’ will return to The University of Akron in the winter of 2021.