Masters of puppetry , Purple Rock Productions , brought the Russian folk tale “ The Snow Maiden” to the Enfield Public Library on Wednesday , April 30 , delighting the mixed audience of youngstersand adults .

Nathaniel Hawthorn wrote a story based on “ The Snow Maiden . ” Composer Rimsky-Korsakov turned it into an opera in 1882 , and an animated Russian film in 1968 told a version of the same story .

“ Even though it’s called ‘ The Snow Maiden , ’ it’s not really a winter story . It’s a spring story , ” said Rolande Duprey , who staged the production . “ It’s a story about the change of seasons . ”

She found the painting of the snow maiden on a lacquer box fascinating and described the impression as “ magical . ” She explained that the typical Russian lacquer box is very small , featuring exquisite painting .

The puppet stage Duprey set up is based on the design of a Russian Lacquer box , and done in 19 th century toy theater style . Although she was out of public view for the most part , Duprey was dressed in 19 th century costume , to retain the theme of rediscovering Russian folk art .

It is the story of a childless old man and woman , whose only joy seemed to be watching the children from the village dancing in their yard. The couple crafted a little girl out of snow , and each wished for exactly the same thing at the same moment under the first star of the evening . They wished that the snow sculpture could become a real living , breathing laughing little child , like the ones from the village . A little celestial magic brought their wish to life , and the snow maiden ( Snegurochka ) began to dance and sing .

In their exuberance , they brought the Snow Maiden into their warm cabin . But the snow creature begged to be kept outside where she was more comfortable . The Snow Maiden survived through the winter and into the spring , dancing and singing to the delight of the old couple .

Snegurochka eventually begins to melt away with the warmth of spring but vowing to return . In her place , the old couple was entertained by the sprites of the season , which Duprey represented with swirling puppets of flowing fabric , a different color for each season . And every winter Snegurochka returned to entertain the couple and the village children .

True to the storytelling technique of folk tales , this one ended with Duprey’s assurance : “ and the old couple were never lonely again . ”

The tunes played by mandolinist Bill Walach throughout the performance were all original Russian melodies , with frequent repetition of the “ Russian Round Dance , ” which Duprey taught willing members of the audience after the show .

Once the performance was over , Rolande Duprey put aside the puppets and stepped out in front of her puppet stage to describe the workings of the little actors and to answer questions . Then , as promised , she gathered a circle of dancers – mostly children with a few adults . She demonstrated the basic steps of the simple Russian folk dance . Then , with Bill Walach playing the tune , which had by then become familiar to everyone , big feet and little attempted to keep in step with the others . As the pace of the mandolin music increased , so did the giggles of the little children , until , finally , the dance ended . The seriousness with which the youngaudience had absorbed the performance was transformed into dance and laughter , and most left the Enfield Public Library to head off to dreamland .

A few children , keenly interested in the mechanics and artistry of the snow maiden , lingered and were treated to an encore of special antics , as well as details of the puppet’s creation and the revelation of the mechanics of her movements .

Charlotte , a 7-year-old who had already begun to create her own puppets , got a complete description of the components used to create the puppet and the steps Duprey followed . The head and body are made of wood and neoprene . Ribbons form the strands of her hair . She has a full body , complete with fully jointed arms and legs , enabling her to do ballet moves . She is controlled by a complex set of 14 strings , each with its own purpose .

The duo from Purple Rock Productions performs “ The Snow Maiden” every year. They start in November and finish in April . Together Duprey and Walach also do a collection of folk tales called Puppet Panorama . In Puppet Vaudeville , they use a broad spectrum of different kinds of puppets , and they also team up to perform a version of “ Rapunsel . ” Their most acclaimed performance of “ The Snow Maiden” was staged at the Hillwood Museum in Washington DC .