Community Feedback: ZarYevka Ballet Presentations are reaching an ever-expanding range of young audiences. We are truly grateful to the following people for allowing us to share the notes and emails they sent us following previous presentations:

"The message is timely: a story of celebrating our unique cultures and working together is clearly told with a narrated score, a beautiful set, and some hilarious characters.....The students loved the glowing underwater scene, and everyone counted down as students helped to pull down The Wall by working together. The dancing was exciting and very professional, but there were so many highlights in this show it was a full theatre experience."
-Jill Kurki, Principal at Big Lake Elementary

"The Jabberwocky was absolutely amazing, but this performance was even better! It is with great pleasure I recommend The Fish & The Bird: A Fantastic Fable. It's honestly the best show we've ever had at the school."
-Sari Small, Principal at Likely Elementary

"I was absolutely thrilled by the message....It's a very emotional story, but told with lots of humor, energy, and opportunities for students to participate vocally throughout, which they enthusiastically did. There was (appropriate!) booing at the Ill Wind that Brings No Good, cheering for favorite characters, and total engagement throughout."
-Kevin McLennan, Principal at 108 Mile Elementary

"Besides experiencing the excellent dancing, the students learned an important lesson about what can happen when we gossip. You can't always get rid of a Jabberwocky (a rumor that grows and grows), you just have to try very hard not to feed it! The very appropriate story was thoughtfully developed."
-Heather Rose, Principal at Kaleden Elementary

"This show managed to connect with the whole age range amazingly well, and I enjoyed watching the faces of students - they were all totally involved, and took advantage of opportunities to make noise appropriately, cheering and booing at various cues....Definitely a great experience for KVR Middle School!"
-Steve DeVito, Principal at KVR Middle School

"The setup, the costumes, the music....overall it was a beautiful presentation, and I know other schools will enjoy it as much as we did at Columbia."
-Jan Ramsay, Principal at Columbia Elementary

"They had all of our students captivated for the whole show....The ballet was superb!"
-Tess Vally, Principal at John Muir Elementary

"What a wonderful combination of physical expression, dance, and story-telling."
-Todd Lindsay, Principal at Naramata Elementary

"Phenomenal! Our kids were absolutely captivated!"
-Marsha Arnold, Principal at Mountain View Elementary

"The scenery and costumes were magical. It's wonderful for students to see how two dancers and a lot of creativity can create an imaginary world so completely."
-Jeannie DeBoice, VP at Ruth King Elementary

"It's so nice to see something different! Often we have theater or music but this was a totally new experience for most of our students."
-Josee Paris, VP at Doncaster Elementary

"Myself and my two girls were mesmerized by your performance at the Art Starts gallery last weekend. It was so astonishing. My two girls were absolutely glued to the whole thing. Thank you ! It was truly magical. I wrote to the gallery and told them the same and that they must have you back in the future."
-Bruce McCoubrey, Audience Member

"I just wanted you to know how successful your show was. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all – even the “ballet skeptics”!!"
-Linda Walters, School District 67

"I have discussed the caliber of this performance with several of my colleagues, and I am sure other schools will want to share this experience with their students also. It is with great enthusiasm that I recommend the ZarYevka Ballet’s presentation of The Jabberwocky."
-Sari Small, Principal at Likely Elementary-Secondary

"The dancing was obviously high-quality, but there were so many fun and entertaining moments it really was much more than a ballet. After the show, I told the dancers they should do this show everywhere."
-Kevin McLennan, Principal 108 Mile Elementary

"A lot of effort obviously went into the scenery, puppets, and amazing costumes. Overall, Jabberwocky was a very high-quality presentation, an enjoyable and exciting way to share ballet with students who are experiencing it for the first time."
- Alison Galbraith, Head Teacher at Wells-Barkerville Elementary

"Teachers are still raving about your last performance and we are looking forward to welcoming you back to Crystal View. Thank you for bringing this special opportunity to our students."
- Karen Sjerven, Principal at Crystal View Elementary

"The Emperor’s New Clothes was an excellent performance. Our students enjoyed the show tremendously! The costumes were incredible and the level of dance was impressive. Thank you!"
-Sharon Schwartz, Principal at Wishart Elementary

"The performance of “The Man Who Danced With the Northern Lights” by the ZarYevka Ballet was very well received by our Elementary students! The learning materials sent to our school 6 weeks prior to the performance were very well prepared and helpful. The children got to experience foot stomping, hear chin music and become familiar with the history of Acadia. Capri did a great job of engaging the children right away with an introduction, and students were captivated for 40 minutes with precise and entertaining dance, complete with beautiful costumes – the Northern Light dancers especially elicited oohs & aaahs! I would highly recommend this outreach performance group to any Elementary school."
- Jeannie DeBoice, Vice Principal & Music Teacher at Ruth King Elementary

"ZarYevka Ballet came to my children's school to present Peter & the Wolf during their school tour of the show. The show was delightfully engaging, and so well-presented. The school has children from Kindergarten to Grade 7, and the company was easily able to entertain this broad range of ages. It was wonderful for many children to see this level of professional dance, as many have been exposed to dance before. It is a great way to show kids that ballet is for everyone!"
- Audrey Thom, PAC and audience member at Peter & the Wolf

"I have directed many many programs and performances, but this is really something special. You truly capture the soul of the culture in each dance, and my heart burns when I think how much effort went into rehearsing those dances. The Barkerville Historic Town and myself do hope to have your contribution in whatever way your schedule allows in future seasons."
- Dr. Ying-Ying Chen, Director of the Barkerville Chinatown Heritage Program

"A short note to say thank you for putting on such a wonderful show at Market Square! You did a terrific job of producing a show that was exactly what we wanted for this venue. Well done!"
- Janet MacLean, Marketing & Property Management Assistant at Market Square