Ballet Images, Louisiana Snake ID and Crescent Circus are three of the library’s special guests this month.
The special guest performances, which are part of the library’s summer reading program, are free and open to the public.
River Region Ballet, now Ballet Images, will present storytime ballet Wednesday, July 16 at 6 p.m. at the East Regional Library and on Thursday, July 17 at 2 p.m. at the West Regional Library.
Crescent Circus is a husband-and-wife duo who combine their expertise in magic and circus arts to entertain attendees. Nathan Kepner and Morgan Tsu-Raun, who are from New Orleans, will visit all six library branches on July 23 and July 24.
Louisiana Snake ID will bring live snakes to all six library branches on July 28, July 29 and July 30. In the interactive demonstrations, attendees can hold and touch native and exotic snake species.
Youth Services Assistant Cy Jones said the library’s summer reading program typically offers about 100 unique events for all ages every June and July.
“Although the summer reading program only lasts for two months, we are preparing for it for most of the year because they are a very packed two months for us,” she said. “We try to get different types of special guests each summer to cater to the many different interests of our community. We look for a variety of animal, dance, storytellers, music, theater, and STEM performers to round out the schedule.”
Jones said the library has hosted Crescent Circus every year since 2019.
“Over 350 people attended their six performances at our library locations last year, so we’re expecting another big crowd this year,” Jones said. “I think patrons enjoy all of the magic tricks that they perform as well as their big finale.”
River Region Ballet recently performed at the library in November for the Nutcracker storytimes at the East Regional and West Regional libraries.
“Our younger patrons loved seeing all of the dancers and their amazing costumes,” Jones said. “The Nutcracker storytime was such a success, so I cannot wait to see how the audiences react to the storytime ballet performances that will tie together dance, music, and reading.”
Lauren Campo-Pitz, assistant director of the library, said there is no registration required for the special events, but there is limited seating.
“We encourage patrons to come early for their best chance to get a seat,” she said.
She said the ballet storytime will probably appeal more to elementary school-aged patrons and younger, while Crescent Circus and Louisiana Snake ID are geared toward toddlers and up.
“However, we welcome patrons of all ages to all of our special guest performances if they are interested,” Pitz said. “We feel like anyone and everyone can find something to enjoy at all of these performances.”
