Carmina Burana is for anyone who assumes ballet always means The Nutcracker, medieval poetry always means boredom, and choirs always mean hymns.

The ballet abstractly follows 13th century monks who exchange chastity for pleasure against the vocals of a choir performing their sexually-charged poetry.

The Pennsylvania Ballet and Orchestra will perform John Butler's ballet, along with George Balanchine's Apollo, at 8 p.m. Saturday in Eisenhower Auditorium.

Carmina Burana combines the vocals of State College Choral Society -- described by Director Russell Shelley as "aggressive, bawdy, sweet and subtle" -- with the dancing of the Philadelphia-based ballet company.

Arantxa Ochoa, a dancer with the Pennsylvania Ballet, said that because the choir is an on-stage presence during the performance, it changes the feeling of the piece.

"It's really very powerful," Ochoa said. "You're on stage and your whole body vibrates with their singing. It's a very different way of dancing [because] you really feel the way they sing.

"My favorite part of the performance is hearing them sing," she added. "They keep a note and you have to keep the movement."

The dual performance of singers and dancers also enhances the experience of the audience, Shelley said.

"It's a wonderful blending of visual and aural elements," he said. "The music makes the dancing more meaningful and the dancing makes the music more meaningful ... It's a wonderful play between the two."

Janet Haner, singer and general manager of the Choral Society, said the poetry adds to the ballet. "The words and the music are what's driving the ballet," Haner said. "Everything together combines to make this an exciting piece."

On last year's Center for the Performing Arts schedule was Septime Webre's Journey Home, which also combined on-stage vocals and a more modern-based ballet style, and Ochoa said she sees a trend in ballet to move away from the classical.

"Right now, it feels like that [is what's happening]," she said. "But Carmina Burana is actually 50 years old. I'll always love classics like Sleeping Beauty but modern ballets are fun to do."

For their part, the members of Penn State Choral Society are looking forward to performing Carmina Burana, which they've performed many times in State College, for the first time on a stage with dancers.

"I am so excited," Haner said. "This is a wonderful opportunity for us to reach a wider audience ... with this combination of wonderful art forms."

Tickets to Carmina Burana are $10 for Penn State students, $28 for the general public and $18 for ages 18 and under. Call (800) ARTS-TIX or visit the information desk at the HUB-Robeson Center or the Eisenhower Auditorium box office.