The Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Ballet Guild of the Lehigh Valley presented its spring production with two short ballets, “Carnival of the Animals” and “The Four Seasons” at each performance, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. May 23, Baker Hall, Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University.

More than 70 dancers performed in the production with choreography by Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Ballet Guild of the Lehigh Valley Artistic Director Karen Kroninger Knerr.

“Pennsylvania Youth Ballet’s goal is to establish a repertoire of ballets for our spring performances. After 10 years it was time to restage this,” says Knerr, who originally choreographed and produced the ballets in 2016.

“Carnival of the Animals,” written in 1886 by French composer Camille Saint-Saens, is a light-hearted musical suite described as a “grand zoological fantasy” with individual movements representing different animals.

While sometimes referred to as a symphonic poem, the original score did not include words or narration. In 1949, poet Ogden Nash wrote verses to accompany the score.

The Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Ballet Guild of the Lehigh Valley “Carnival of the Animals” production included a new narration by Kristopher Yoder, who wrote poems to introduce each piece. Yoder played Herr Drosselmeyer in Pennsylvania Youth Ballet’s annual “Nutcracker” and Dr. Coppelius in its production of “Coppelia.”

“It’s fun. [The narration] really describes what’s going on, both musically and with the dancers,” Knerr says in a phone interview.

As for adapting an orchestral work to the stage, Knerr says, “The process is really just listening to the music over and over and digesting the score. I find that it easily translates to movement.

“It’s staged as a carnival scene. There are a small tent and a fishbowl game onstage. We use a lot of digital projection which lends to the scene and the sets,” says Knerr.

Represented in the whimsical ballet are a lion, hens, roosters, elephants, a cuckoo bird and more. Dancers will be dressed like children at a carnival.

“As each dance progresses, you’ll be able to understand the animal characters,” Knerr says.

“Saint-Saens did so much with that music and tucked away some hidden things, like the Turtles [scene] is actually a can-can dance, just slowed down. So naturally, I took a can-can step and slowed it for the dancers in that piece.”

“The Four Seasons,” written by composer Antonio Vivaldi in 1725, is comprised of four violin concertos that give musical expression to the seasons of the year. Each season represents a stage of human life, from infancy to old age.

“Each season has three movements,” says Knerr. “With the second movement of each piece being more of an adagio.”

Spring will present a youthful pas de deux and Summer a vibrant, prime-of-one’s-life dance.

“There’s a real storyline through it,” Knerr says.

Digital projections were created by lighting designer Justin Burns. “He created these for us, which is just wonderful.”

The two short ballets were performed at each performance, with an intermission in between each ballet.

A free “Meet-and-Greet” was held after each performance. Children and adults could join the dancers for photographs and a behind-the-scenes view of the production.

“The meet-and-greet is something that we’ve started to do with all our spring productions,” says Knerr. “It really is a great opportunity for audience members to meet the dancers and the cast that have just performed for them.”

Student dancers performing in “Carnival of the Animals,” the Swans dance: Andy Alulis, 19, Whitehall High School graduate, and Isabel Stana, Lehigh Valley Charter Arts High School senior.

Performing in “The Four Seasons” Spring pas de deux: Francesca Reto, home school, junior, and Aidan Lazo, Parkland High School senior.

Also performing the pas de deux: Marley Gidusko, Lehigh Valley Charter Arts sophomore, and Andy Alulis.

The Summer solo was performed by EllaMary Groller, Lehigh Valley Charter Arts sophomore.

“We try to do family-friendly ballets, which this certainly is,” says Knerr. “It’s very educational as well, especially with the ‘Carnival of the Animals’ and the poems. I love the narration.”

“Carnival of the Animals,” “The Four Seasons,” 1 p.m., 4 p.m. May 23, Baker Hall, Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, 420 E. Packer Avenue, Bethlehem. Tickets: Zoellner Arts Center box office; 610-758-2787; https://zoellner.cas.lehigh.edu/