Spokane Youth Ballet
presents
The Snow Queen
Naomi Hanvey's The Snow Queen will return in January 2026. Featuring the haunting music of Tuomas Kantelinen, Randall Michael Tobin, and others, and a blend of dance styles from classical ballet to contemporary to European folk dance, Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale comes to life as you've never seen it before in this full-length ballet.
Gerda and Kai are the best of friends, as close as brother and sister. When the mysterious and cruel Snow Queen enchants Kai and spirits him away, Gerda goes on an epic quest to find Kai and bring him home. Her journey teaches her - and us - that the power of love is greater than any other force on earth.
Auditions
Advanced dancers (ages 14+) August 28
5:00-6:30
Seeking dancers highly trained in classical ballet, pointe, and/or modern/contemporary
Intermediate dancers (ages 12+) September 6 OR September 20
12:00-1:00 pm
Seeking dancers trained in classical ballet and/or modern/contemporary
Ages 8-11 September 6 OR September 20
11:00-11:45 a.m.
Seeking dancers with at least one year of classical ballet training
Ages 6-8 September 6 10:00-10:45 a.m. OR September 20 11:00-11:45 a.m.
Seeking dancers with good listening skills who can gallop and skip
No audition fee
Boys and girls welcome to audition
All auditions and rehearsals are held at the Academy of Dance
14214 E. Sprague Ave. Unit D
Spokane Valley, WA 99216
Rehearsals
Rehearsals will be held at the Academy of Dance on the following dates and times:
Soloists
September 1-5, times TBD according to dancers' availability
Fridays 5:30-7:00 beginning September 12, according to dancers' availability (all soloist dancers are welcome to attend warm-up class from 4:00-5:30)
TBD December 29-January 2
TBD January 5-7
Blizzard (advanced)
Saturday, September 6, 13, 20, 27 2:00-5:00 p.m.
Saturdays from October 4 - December 20 2:00-3:00 p.m. (no rehearsal November 29)
Saturday, January 3, 2:00-3:00
TBD January 5-7
River (intermediate)
Saturdays from October 4 - December 20 3:00-4:00 p.m. (no rehearsal November 29)
Saturday, January 3, 3:00-4:00
TBD January 5-7
Angels and Flowers (beginner)
Saturdays from October 4 - December 20 4:00-5:00 p.m. (no rehearsal November 29)
Saturday, January 3, 4:00-5:00
TBD January 5-7
All other roles will be performed by Academy of Dance students and will rehearse during class times.
Performances
The performances will be January 10, 2026 at the Martin Woldson Performing Arts Center at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. Tickets will be available exclusively through the MWPAC box office.
Tech and dress rehearsals will be Thursday and Friday, January 8 and 9, at MWPAC.
About the Ballet
The Snow Queen is based on the 1844 fairy tale of the same name by Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen. You can read the full text online here, or better yet, find an illustrated edition at your local library.
The Characters
Kai
Gerda's best friend Kai is a sweet boy until he is cursed by the Snow Queen to become cold and cruel. Will he be able to recover the heart the Snow Queen freezes?
Gerda
An ordinary girl living in an ordinary village. She and her best friend Kai love to play in the rose garden near where they live, tended to by an elderly woman they both call Grandmother. The Snow Queen is ultimately a story of Gerda's kindness and her love for Kai triumphing over all manner of obstacles and opposition.
The Snow Queen
The inspiration for C. S. Lewis' White Whitch in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the Snow Queen is a being of malice and cruelty. She desires to turn every heart in the world as cold as ice and as hard as stone, and Kai is her perfect test subject.
The Grandmother
An elderly woman in the village who cares for Kai and Gerda as if they were her own.
The Imps and the Magic Mirror
The Imps and their leader are devious beings who construct a magical mirror. The mirror's power transforms the reflection of anyone who looks into it, making the kind appear cruel and the honest appear devious. When the mirror is broken, its shards are blown all over the world. Some pieces are large enough to be made into spectacles, looking-glasses, or windows, and all who look through them can only see the bad in others and themselves. Some pieces are tiny enough to lodge inside a person's eye, which makes the whole world appear dark and cruel to them. But some pieces can go straight into a person's heart, causing it to freeze. This is the most tragic fate of all because a person with a frozen heart cannot love or feel the love of others.
The Skaters and Villagers
The members of Kai and Gerda's community are kind and fun-loving.
The Blizzard
The Snow Queen uses her power to summon minions made of snow, which help her spirit Kai away and try to prevent Gerda from reaching him.
The River
The river is the first place Gerda looks for Kai after he disappears in the blizzard. Believing Kai has drowned, Gerda begs the river to return Kai to her, but the river responds that it does not hold Kai. Its current carries her away from home to the shore of an enchanted garden.
The Enchantress and Flowers
The Enchantress tends a beautiful garden of magical flowers, but what she really wants is a child of her own. When she encounters Gerda, she attempts to keep her by making her forget all about Kai.
The Ravens
The Ravens are a well-meaning, if a little bird-brained, pair of birds who divide their time between the wilderness and the palace of the Princess.
The Prince and Princess
The Princess is known for her incredible intelligence. When the time came for her to find a prince to marry, she sought a prince as smart as herself but also one who would be kind and sweet. The young man she chose is a stranger to the kingdom and one who bears a striking resemblance to Kai.
The Robbers and Robber Girl
The Robbers live by their wits and cunning in the middle of the forest. The youngest among them, a little girl, befriends Gerda and regrets that her clan stole from her and hindered her search for Kai. She offers the help of her pet Reindeer.
The Reindeer
The Reindeer has spent all her life in the far north of Lapland, near the realm of the Snow Queen. She knows all too well the dangers of this evil being.
The Wise Women
The Wise Women live in the far reaches of civilization. Of all the characters in the story, only they know the Snow Queen's power to command a frozen heart. They also know that it is Gerda's love and strength of character who will ultimately be able to break Kai's curse and restore him.
The Angels
When Gerda reaches the farthest reaches of the north, she is nearly frozen to death by the cold. Her breath is transformed into angels who revive her and strengthen her to make the final step of her journey to save Kai.
