The National Ballet of China will stage the classic ballet piece, La Bayadere, from Dec 15 to 17 at Tianqiao Theater in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily]
The National Ballet of China has been busy revving up for its winter season.
The National Ballet of China will premiere its latest production, Yimeng, from Dec 26 to 28 at Tianqiao Theater in Beijing to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China next year.
The work, which is based on the company's classic piece, Ode to the Yimeng Mountain, tells stories with scenes adapted from real events with such titles as Bridge Under Fire, The Virgin Bride and Passions of Yimeng.
In May 1973, the company premiered Ode to the Yimeng Mountain as 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 following War of Liberation (1946-49).
The local women, known as the "Red Sisters", not only helped these soldiers by making shoes and clothes for them but also sometimes sacrificing their lives to protect them. Ode to the Yimeng Mountains was adapted into a film in 1975 by the People's Liberation Army's August First Film Studio.
"With its original music, choreography and touching stories, the ballet piece has been part of the National Ballet of China's repertoire for decades," says the group's head, Feng Ying.
"It's a great piece to reproduce and introduce to audiences, especially young people. By restaging this classic, we can look back at the country's development and show our respect for those contributed to it," Feng adds.
The composer, 80-year-old Liu Tingyu, wrote many songs for the piece in 1973, including the folk ballad, Yimeng Tune, which depicts China's beautiful natural scenery.
Liu has added such elements to the new production as Chinese drums and erhu (a two-stringed fiddle). Under the baton of conductor Huang Yi, the symphony orchestra of the National Ballet of China will perform the songs featured in Yimeng.
Feng says that all the original songs from the 1973 production will be featured in the upcoming Yimeng.
The show's director and choreographer, Xu Gang, danced in the lead role in 1995.
The National Ballet of China will stage the classic ballet piece, La Bayadere, from Dec 15 to 17 at Tianqiao Theater in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily]
"It's a timeless piece that has been performed by different generations of National Ballet dancers," says Xu, who traveled to Yinan along with dancers from the National Ballet of China in 2017 to discover more stories about the "Red Sisters".
One story in Yimeng is about 32 local women who helped soldiers to cross a river. The women stood in the cold waterway and used planks from wooden doors to build a bridge, since the original one had been destroyed by the enemy.
Another story told in Yimeng is about a young local woman who married a Red Army soldier. But her husband left with the troop on their wedding day. She didn't receive word about him until 12 years later, when she learned of his death. The woman didn't remarry and adopted children who were orphaned after their parents died in battle.
Young ballet dancers, including Ning Long, Wu Siming and Shen Mengfan, will perform leading roles in Yimeng during the National Ballet of China's 2020-21 winter season.
Dancers from the National Ballet of China rehearse for the upcoming production, Yimeng, which will premiere from Dec 26 to 28 at Tianqiao Theater. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]
The company traditionally presents a series of ballets selected from the year's performances before the new year.
From Dec 15 to 17, the company staged La Bayadere, a classic ballet originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and performed to music composed by Ludwig Minkus.
Star dancers, including Zhang Jian, Ma Xiaodong and Qiu Yunting, played the leading roles in the production that Feng says, "showcases a ballet company's level with its dazzling spectacle of colorful stage sets, elaborate costumes and a mix of dance moves and scenes".
On Jan 2 and 3, the company will stage Guo Nian, a Chinese version of The Nutcracker, at Tianqiao Theater.
Inspired by the classic two-act ballet scored by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Guo Nian, which premiered in the capital in 2000, is set against the backdrop of Spring Festival, China's most important traditional celebration.
Also, the timeless classic Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky will be staged at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing from Feb 4 to 6. Russian ballerina Natalia Makarova choreographed the version that will be performed. In 2007, she came to Beijing and choreographed the piece with the National Ballet of China.
In January, the National Ballet will tour nationwide, performing in such cities as Quanzhou, Fujian province, Shanghai and Yancheng, Jiangsu province, with such programs as The Red Detachment of Women, Guo Nian and Soul of Crane.
