Most people are familiar with the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet. The star-crossed lovers are hard to escape in a literature curriculum, although it's a safe bet that most students would get lost in the archaic language without the help of www.sparknotes.com's No Fear Shakespeare.

This weekend, students trying to understand the work without slaving over the text will have the chance to see a unique interpretation of the play.

Russia's St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre will perform a ballet version of Romeo and Juliet at 8 p.m. Friday in Eisenhower Auditorium.

This is the second time the St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre has come to Penn State, Laura Sullivan, director for the Center for the Performing Arts (CPA), said. Its first show here was the April 2005 performance of Gisele, which Sullivan said was "well received with our audience."

At each stop on their tour from January to May, the company performs one of five pieces from their repertoire, so that the dancers can have variety with their art. The tour manager chose Romeo and Juliet for university performances because it is suited for the age of typical university audiences, artistic director Yuri Petukhov said through student translator Elizaveta Mahhalova (senior-international politics and Russian literature).

The popularity of Romeo and Juliet was part of what led the CPA to book the ballet troupe.

"We figured Romeo and Juliet would definitely attract an audience in this community. It's been on sale for almost a year and it's doing really well," Sullivan said, adding that ticket sales picked up right around Valentine's Day as a romantic present for significant others.

The CPA was also attracted to the St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre's prestige.

"When they're on tour, they're definitely someone we consider high on our list," Sullivan said.

This performance of Romeo and Juliet is unique because the events are expressed solely through classical ballet. The dancers will use movement to convey the plot and facial expressions to convey the emotions of the goings-on.

The classical nature of the St. Petersburg Ballet means the ballet choreography is mostly traditional, though in a few parts, movements were slightly modernized, Petukhov said.

The play's unique performance will allow audience members to view the popular story in a different way. Considering the difficult level of the language Shakespeare uses, assistant professor of theatre Steve Broadnax said he thinks the ballet version will help the audience understand it better.

"The language can be a barrier, especially with theater, but movement is a common language between all cultures," Broadnax said.

Sullivan expects an audience with many artistic backgrounds.

"I think we will have a mix because of the popularity of story-ballet than, say, modern dance. When it's a story-ballet, you get family, you get people who are into classical music. We'll get a lot of students here for a date night," Sullivan said.

For the few in the audience with absolutely no knowledge of Romeo and Juliet, a synopsis will be provided in the program.

Dance minor Amanda Tylka (junior-recreation, park and tourism management) said she thinks the ballet will be "more innovative" than the traditional play version of Romeo and Juliet.

"Since Romeo and Juliet was a play and that is poetry with words, and now it's a ballet and is interpreted with dance, the movement is the poetry," Tylka said.

Sullivan had a similar opinion about the play-turned-ballet.

"I think the dance is universal. Sometimes the need to listen closely to the words can detract, especially with Shakespeare. It's still set up with all the scenes, so you still get the gist," she said.

The performance should run around two hours and is two acts with eight scenes.

Broadnax said the unfamiliarity most students have with story-ballets will make the show a unique experience.

"I would assume they will enjoy it, but it may seem strange to them because it's something new," he said.

In Russian, Petukhov said the raw beauty of ballet needs no translation.

"Ballet goes straight to your heart," he said "There is no need for words, just feeling."