Two bright and colourful evenings by the National Ballet of China — for the first time in Vladivostok and in the programme of the International Mariinsky Far East Festival.
The unique company, whose repertoire includes both classical European ballets and original works with a distinct Chinese flair, will appear twice with a vibrant programme at the Grand Hall of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre.
On 1 and 2 August (19:00), the Chinese artists will present a diverse programme, demonstrating a wide spectrum of capabilities of the leading ballet company of the country. The first part of the evening features Act 2 of Bournville’s classical version of the 19th century romantic ballet La Sylphide, the choreographic miniature Prelude to music by Sergei Rachmaninoff staged by modern British director Ben Stevenson and the finale of the celebrated Yellow River ballet by Chen Zemei. In Second Part of the evening the ballet-lovers will see The Song of Life, a production by choreographer Ying E Ding to Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony. Main parts will be performed by multiple international award-winning lead soloists of the National Ballet of China.
The history of the National Ballet of China, established in Beijing in 1959, is closely connected with Russian ballet art. The first generation of Chinese classical ballet dancers and choreographers were educated by Soviet teacher and ballet-master Pyotr Gusev, who laid the foundation for further development of the company. A harmonious blend of the Western dance school basics and oriental choreographic traditions has become a distinguishing feature of the Company. The National Ballet of China playbill features both European classical titles and ballet performances by Chinese choreographers inspired by national historical plots and set to music by Chinese composers. Ballets of both categories performed by the Company have received high acclaim from audiences around the world. The National Ballet of China has triumphantly toured in the USA, France, Great Britain, Italy, Australia, Mexico, Brazil and other countries.
