Major ballet festival sees return of majestic art form

From Dec 16 to 19, dancers of the National Ballet of China will perform the three-act Onegin, one of the world's greatest ballets based on Russian poet and playwright Alexander Pushkin's novel Eugene Onegin. Choreographed by John Cranko for the Stuttgart Ballet, the piece premiered in 1965.

In 2009, Anderson was in Beijing to train dancers of the National Ballet of China and the same year, the piece was performed at Tianqiao Theater.

Feng says: "It's true that online communication is challenging for dancers since there are many details, such as hand gestures and facial expressions, to deliver the emotions. But we try to overcome such difficulties."

Besides interpreting Western ballet pieces, the Chinese dancers will perform original Chinese ballet works during the coming event.

The company's original work Yimeng will be performed at Tianqiao Theater from Dec 9 to 10.

Telling stories with scenes adapted from real events, the ballet work is a tribute to residents of Yinan county in East China's Shandong province who supported Communist troops during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the War of Liberation (1946-49). It premiered in 2020 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

Inspiration and Glory, another original ballet by the company, will close the performance season, with shows on Dec 25 and 26. It tells stories based on four Chinese folk tales-Nyuwa Butian (Goddess Nyuwa Repairs the Sky), Jingwei Tianhai (Jingwei Trying to Fill Up the Sea), Yugong Yishan (Yugong Moves Away the Mountains) and Kuafu Zhuri (Kuafu Chasing the Sun)-which all exemplify the spirit of perseverance and dedication.

Composer Guan Xia, former president of the China National Symphony Orchestra, modified four of his early works for this ballet production, accompanied by the symphony orchestra of the National Ballet of China under the baton of conductor Zhang Yi.

The ballet pays tribute to those who made contributions to China's development over the past century.

Other performances during the Beijing event include Shanghai Ballet's version of The Lady of the Camellias on Nov 19 and 20; and Zhengzhou Song and Dance Theater's original dance drama, Shuiyue Luoshen (Nymph of the Luoshui River), on Nov 26 and 27.

Besides live shows, some ballet productions, including Stuttgart Ballet's Romeo and Juliet and the Royal Ballet's La Fille Mal Gardee, will be screened during the event at Tianqiao Theater, co-organizer of the China International Ballet Season.

According to Liu Jingwei, the theater's general manager, the event has been held every two years since 2013 and has attracted over 57 ballet companies from 27 countries and regions.

To involve the audience more in the event, amateur ballet dancers are encouraged to participate by performing at the theater.