Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra aims to bring a spring to your step with its upcoming dance-inspired concert.
The concert starts with Sergei Prokofiev's ballet suite Romeo and Juliet, written in 1935.
Prokofiev's imaginative scoring includes the less common instruments cor anglais, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, contrabassoon, tuba, bells, xylophone, harp, celesta and piano.
Speaking about his work, Prokofiev said: "If people find no melody and no emotion in this work of mine I shall feel very sorry; but I feel sure that they will sooner or later."
This is followed by Malcolm Arnold's English Dances. These four dances, composed in 1951, were inspired by country folk tunes and dances.
The second half of the concert includes The Chairman Dances from John Adams' opera Nixon in China, composed in 1985. This describes the visit of the US President Richard Nixon's historic trip to China.
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In the opera, the music depicts Madame Mao gatecrashing a presidential banquet, hanging paper lanterns and performing a seductive dance, before Chairman Mao descends from his portrait to dance the foxtrot with her.
Next is Aram Khachaturian's Waltz from Masquerade, which is taken from the incidental music written for Lermontovae's play Maskerade. Written in 1941, it tells of the licentious lifestyle of the Russian upper classes in the 1830s.
The concert finishes with Arturo Màrquez's Danzon No.2, composed in 1994. This piece is based on dance music which originated in 19th century Cuba. The orchestra's percussion and brass players are prominently featured in this work.
Conductor Richard Hull said: "We want to showcase dance music from around the world, including folk, ballet, opera and Latin-American dance-halls.
"We hope the audience will enjoy this special musical trip around the globe."
The concert takes place at 3pm on Sunday, February 26 in Saffron Hall.
Tickets cost either £20 or £17 for adults over 25, £10 for people age 18 to 25, and £5 for under-18s.
To buy tickets call Saffron Hall box office on 0845 548 7650 or visit www.saffronhall.com.
Tickets are also available from Saffron Walden Tourist Information Centre in Market Street.
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