Time: 2008/8/28-2008/8/29
Venue: Forbidden City Music Hall
Price: 20/40/60/80/100
Tel: 86-10-64177845
Web: www.piao.com.cn
Performer: China National Ballet
Programme: Excerpts from classic ballet Swan Lake, The Red Detachment of Women, etc.
Theonly Chinese national ballet, the National Ballet of China (NBC)wasfounded on the 31st of December 1959. Originally known astheExperimental Ballet Company of the Beijing Dance School,“the cradleof dancers”, it quickly grew under the influence ofnumerous Russianmasters. During its formative years from 1954 to 1963,Pyotr Gusev andother Russian artists brought the Ballet trainingtypical of the RussianSchooland assimilated it into the Chinese training program. Incollaborationtogether, the Russians and Chinese successfully staged anumber ofclassical ballets including Swan Lake,Le Corsaire, and Gisellefrom 1958 to 1960. This first generation ofChinese classical balletdancers and other artists would go on to helpbuild the company’sclassical ballet repertoire and lay a solidfoundation for thedevelopment of the National Ballet of China. Overthe past forty-fiveyears, the company has attached great importance tothe exploration andthe accumulation of ballet knowledge. Today the NBChas an extensiverepertoire and has successfully trained manygenerations of outstandingartists. This winning combination hasattracted the attention and praiseof the international world ofballet. At present, the NBC has overeighty professional balletdancers, teachers and regisseurs. Many of itsdancers have won gold,silver and bronze medals at major internationalballet competitions.
TheNBC’s artistic mission is twofold. Firstly, to introduceChineseaudiences to Western classical ballets and contemporary balletworksand secondly, to explore the unique fusion possible betweenclassicalballet and Chinese culture. This fusion was achieved bychoreographingand creating its own ballets. The NBC‘s repertoireincludes many ofsuch fusion Chinese ballets, which represents theChinesecharacteristics; The Red Detachment of Women, Ode to theYimengMountains, The Son and Daughter of the Grassland, The NewYear’sSacrifice, Lin Daiyu, The Yellow River, Butterfly Lovers, TheNutCracker,? and Raise the Red Lantern. A number of othercontemporaryballet pieces have won international acclaim, such asCoppelia, Fate,Rainbow of the Night, Chairman Dancers, Rite of Springand Swan Lake(new version). Each of these ballets is an exploration ofthe blendingbetween Chinese culture and history with more classicalWesternelements. The epitome of this blending was displayed in theballet TheRed Detachment of Women, which was choreographed by LiChengxiang,Jiang Zuhui and Wang Xixian, and relates historical Chineseeventsthrough dance.
Continuingits education through cultural exchange, the NBC has workedwith avariety of foreign ballet masters and choreographers,includingrenowned artists Anton Dolin and Rudolf Nureyev, to stageclassicalballet works including Pas de Quatre, Variations for Four, DonQuixote,La Sylphideof the Bournonville School, Sleeping Beauty, BenStevenson’s Fountainof Tears, Lycette Darsonval’s Sylvia from the ParisOpera Ballet.Inclusive are also Balanchine’s Neo-Classical ballets,includingSerenade, and other contemporary works such as Rudy VanDantzig’s TheFour Last Songs. Over the last ten years, Director ZhaoRuheng and allmembers of the NBC have been inspired by the spirit ofthe company‘sslogan, “Struggle arduously, keep united and down toearth.” They havebeen diligently contributing to realizing their goalof “Expansion andfurtherance of the art of ballet” through numerousperformances andcollaborations.
Thecompany is further enhanced by the reputation of its own orchestra.TheNational Ballet of China Symphony Orchestra consists ofsixtyclassically trained musicians and is the only orchestra in Chinatospecializes in ballet accompaniments. It has collaborated withmanyother ballet companies from home and abroad, as well as givingmanywell acclaimed solo concerts. Also in house is the NBC’sexperiencedhouse stage production team who makes each of the exquisitecostumes,scenery, props, head-dresses and ballet shoes. The NBC’sfortunecontinues as Beijing’sTianqiao Theatre is affiliated with thecompany. The theatre was builtin 1953 and recently went underrenovations which were completed in2001. It is one of the only theatresin China built specially to host opera and ballet performances.
Sincethe first day it was founded, the National Ballet of China hasneverstopped receiving generous support from the Chinese government andfromits older generation of performance artists. Foremost amongstthesesupporters are Dai Ailian and Bai Shuxiang. Throughout the NBC’scareerand to much international acclaim, the Ballet has toured morethanthirty countries around the world including Britain, America,Russia, France, Demark and Italy. The NBC has brought Chinese balletinto
