Swan Lake in 3 Acts by China National Ballet May 13, 2008

Time: 2008/5/13-2008/5/14
Venue: Tian Qiao Theater
Price: 50/100/180/280/380/480/580
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To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Classic Ballet Swan Lake’s China Premiere

Performer: National Ballet of China
Accompaniment: National Ballet of China Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Zhang Yi, Liu Ju

In 1958, The National Ballet of China(NBC) presented the China Premiere of Markarov’s full-length classical ballet Swan Lake. The performance was full of expressive force, lyrical and colorful dances. On 14th and 15th May, Swan Lake by China National Ballet will be again put on stage. Prima Ballerina Zhu Yan and Zhang Jian will dance the leading roles in Swan Lake.

Theonly Chinese national ballet, the National Ballet of China (NBC) wasfounded on the 31st of December 1959. Originally known as theExperimental Ballet Company of the Beijing Dance School,“the cradle of dancers”, it quickly grew under the influence ofnumerous Russian masters. During its formative years from 1954 to 1963,Pyotr Gusev and other Russian artists brought the Ballet trainingtypical of the Russian Schooland assimilated it into the Chinese training program. In collaborationtogether, the Russians and Chinese successfully staged a number ofclassical ballets including Swan Lake,Le Corsaire, and Giselle from 1958 to 1960. This first generation ofChinese classical ballet dancers and other artists would go on to helpbuild the company’s classical ballet repertoire and lay a solidfoundation for the development of the National Ballet of China. Overthe past forty-five years, the company has attached great importance tothe exploration and the accumulation of ballet knowledge. Today the NBChas an extensive repertoire and has successfully trained manygenerations of outstanding artists. This winning combination hasattracted the attention and praise of the international world ofballet. At present, the NBC has over eighty professional balletdancers, teachers and regisseurs. Many of its dancers have won gold,silver and bronze medals at major international ballet competitions.

TheNBC’s artistic mission is twofold. Firstly, to introduce Chineseaudiences to Western classical ballets and contemporary ballet worksand secondly, to explore the unique fusion possible between classicalballet and Chinese culture. This fusion was achieved by choreographingand creating its own ballets. The NBC‘s repertoire includes many ofsuch fusion Chinese ballets, which represents the Chinesecharacteristics; The Red Detachment of Women, Ode to the YimengMountains, The Son and Daughter of the Grassland, The New Year’sSacrifice, Lin Daiyu, The Yellow River, Butterfly Lovers, The NutCracker,? and Raise the Red Lantern. A number of other contemporaryballet pieces have won international acclaim, such as Coppelia, Fate,Rainbow of the Night, Chairman Dancers, Rite of Spring and Swan Lake(new version). Each of these ballets is an exploration of the blendingbetween Chinese culture and history with more classical Westernelements. The epitome of this blending was displayed in the ballet TheRed Detachment of Women, which was choreographed by Li Chengxiang,Jiang Zuhui and Wang Xixian, and relates historical Chinese eventsthrough dance.

Continuingits education through cultural exchange, the NBC has worked with avariety of foreign ballet masters and choreographers, includingrenowned artists Anton Dolin and Rudolf Nureyev, to stage classicalballet works including Pas de Quatre, Variations for Four, Don Quixote,La Sylphideof the Bournonville School, Sleeping Beauty, Ben Stevenson’s Fountainof Tears, Lycette Darsonval’s Sylvia from the Paris Opera Ballet.Inclusive are also Balanchine’s Neo-Classical ballets, includingSerenade, and other contemporary works such as Rudy Van Dantzig’s TheFour Last Songs. Over the last ten years, Director Zhao Ruheng and allmembers of the NBC have been inspired by the spirit of the company‘sslogan, “Struggle arduously, keep united and down to earth.” They havebeen diligently contributing to realizing their goal of “Expansion andfurtherance of the art of ballet” through numerous performances andcollaborations.

Thecompany is further enhanced by the reputation of its own orchestra. TheNational Ballet of China Symphony Orchestra consists of sixtyclassically trained musicians and is the only orchestra in Chinato specializes in ballet accompaniments. It has collaborated with manyother ballet companies from home and abroad, as well as giving manywell acclaimed solo concerts. Also in house is the NBC’s experiencedhouse stage production team who makes each of the exquisite costumes,scenery, props, head-dresses and ballet shoes. The NBC’s fortunecontinues as Beijing’sTianqiao Theatre is affiliated with the company. The theatre was builtin 1953 and recently went under renovations which were completed in2001. It is one of the only theatres in China built specially to host opera and ballet performances.

Sincethe first day it was founded, the National Ballet of China has neverstopped receiving generous support from the Chinese government and fromits older generation of performance artists. Foremost amongst thesesupporters are Dai Ailian and Bai Shuxiang. Throughout the NBC’s careerand to much international acclaim, the? Ballet has toured more thanthirty countries around the world including Britain, America, Russia, France, Demark and Italy.The NBC has brought Chinese ballet into the limelight and garnered thepraise that it well deserves from the international ballet world.

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