By Kathy Valin

Photo By Sandy Underwood

(L-R) Hannah Spiegel, Alexei Kremnov, Leigh Lijol

"Everyone told me I'd be crazy to start a ballet school," says Tatyana Makarova, who moved to Cincinnati 13 years ago from Gormel, Belarus. A graduate of the Vaganova School in St. Petersburg, she now runs the Cincinnati Dance Academy; she's also the artistic director of the Next Generation Dance Company, presenting Alexei Kremnev's PINOCCHIO this weekend at the Aronoff Center.

With professionals Kremnev as Geppetto, Andrey Kasatsky as the tyrannical Magafoko and Michael Wardlaw as Shark, the production also features 20 student performers trained at dance schools all over Greater Cincinnati, including Makarova's.

HANNAH SPIEGEL, 12, takes on the role of Pinocchio, the tale of a wooden puppet who longs to become a real boy. Kremnev and his wife, Anna Reznik (who has been the assistant choreographer for Pinocchio), resigned last year from Cincinnati Ballet; they have made good on their promise to stay in the area to perform and work with their students, including Spiegel, who they've worked with for three years.

Last weekend the young dancer traveled with Kremnev and Reznik to Chicago, where she won a Gold Prize in the Youth America Grand Prix, judged by Melissa Hayden and others. Courtney Sanborn, Leigh Lijoi and Kristen Phelps also won prizes.

"We've been working with the girls about three years in ballettech and privately, also," says Kremnev. "Each has a very good artistic personality, and they are all in Pinocchio." Kremnev explains that the ballet is less like the Disney cartoon and more like the traditional Russian story.

The adventures he's plotted for the puppet involve freeing other puppets from Magafoko, meeting a wise sea turtle and her court of colorful fish and sea horses, escaping the teeth of a Shark, and finding The Golden Key that opens the magic door to Happiness and Freedom.

Pinocchio will be presented Thursday-Sunday at the Aronoff Center's Jarson-Kaplan Theater. Tickets: 513-241-7469

Kremnev and Reznik will appear onstage together in AN EVENING OF SONG AND DANCE at Northern Kentucky University's Corbett Theatre on Feb. 23-24. Tickets: 859-572-5464.

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