Spring Festival sees cavalcade of ballet shows

• Source: Global Times
• [10:15 February 08 2010]
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The Kremlin Ballet performing The Marriage of Figaro. Photo: courtesy of Beijing Modern People Cultural Company

By Carol Xu

The first day of this year's Spring Festival happens to fall on the same day as Valentine's Day, and to celebrate such a joyous synchronicity the Poly Theater will be hosting a performance of classic ballet The Marriage of Figaro on February 14 and 15.

This particular rendition of Figaro, performed by Russia's Kremlin Palace Ballet Theater troupe, aims to be different by incorporating comedic elements into the performance. Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker will also be performed by the troupe at later dates.

Now in its tenth year, "Spring for Ballet," an annual ballet festival organized by the Beijing Modern People Cultural Company, has brought nearly every single major international ballet troupe to perform in Beijing.

Andrei Petrov, artistic director for the Kremlin Ballet, modeled the choreography of comic version of The Marriage of Figaro based on the original classic and The Barber of Seville. Petrov has said that producing a work featuring the quick-witted barber in Seville has been a long-time dream of his.

The two-act ballet, featuring music by Rossini and Mozart, has only been performed once in Russia in 2008. Its debut in China marks the first time it will have been performed on an international stage.

Aside from the ballet's exaggerated characters and humorous plots, its set decorations are reported to cost up to 10 million rubles (2.3 million yuan).

Where: Poly Theatre

When: February 14 and 15, 7:30 pm

Price: 180 to 1,280 yuan

Contact: 6417-7845

(Xu Liuliu contributed to this story)