Elsa and Anna were nowhere to be found, but the New Bedford Ballet's performance of "The Snow Queen" at Center School did give kids a peek into the story that inspired "Frozen."

The ballet company, comprised of ballerinas ages 12 to 18, performed an abbreviated version of the Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale on Wednesday afternoon.

Center School was one of 14 stops on the ballet's tour. Artistic Director Rebeca Waskiel said the performances are an important part of the ballet company's work.

"We always feel like one of our missions is to expose as many people to the ballet as possible ... to bring the art of ballet to people who wouldn't normally see it," she said.

Waskiel gave the kids some background on the ballet before it started, saying that while Disney's popular musical "Frozen" was based on "The Snow Queen," "you're not going to meet Olaf or the snow monster."

The kids did give a gasp when they heard the word frozen, but as they watched the performance, they were able to "Let It Go" as the ballerinas twirled through the gym.

The event was sponsored by the Mattapoisett Cultural Council.