The Royal New Zealand Ballet is used to rapturous responses from the audience, but yesterday's squeals of delight and continuous clapping were a little unusual.
Excited school children made up the audience of 2000 for the performance of A Christmas Carol and "it was well-organised bedlam", said George Hills,communications adviser for the ballet company.
The children were encouraged to stomp their feet and to hoot and holler, she said.
"They were clapping all the way through the performance," said Ms Hills. "If they saw something they liked, they clapped."
Children were also involved on stage, with nine from the Auckland region having roles.
Yesterday's performance was designed to throw the spotlight on the Royal New Zealand Ballet's education programme.
It coincided with the release of a new CD-Rom dance education resource designed by dance educator and practitioner Jan Bolwell.
"It's a nifty wee resource," said Ms Hills. "It encourages the kids to explore dance classics and to compose music. It's fully interactive."
