ARTS / DANCE
National Ballet of China to ring in new year with ‘La Bayadere’
Published: Dec 16, 2020 07:28 PM
With a challenging 2020 wrapping up and a hopeful 2021 approaching, the artists at the National Ballet of China (NBC) will present seasonal performances as New Year gifts for audiences. 

Dancing Girl performed on Tuesday Photos: Courtesy of Shi Ren

From Tuesday to Thursday, the NBC will perform La Bayadere (Dancing Girl) at the Beijing Tianqiao Theater, which has just reopened after renovations. 

A lifelong love of world-renowned ballerina Natalia Makarova, La Bayadere is considered to be one of the most challenging pinnacles of classic ballet. 

Dancing Girl performed on Tuesday

Additionally, the NBC's large-scale original ballet Yimeng will premiere at the Beijing Tianqiao Theater on December 26-28. A tribute celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the performance is also one of the highlights of the NBC's year-ender series. 

The newly created ballet is based on the classic work Ode to Yimeng, which was first performed by the NBC more than 40 years ago. Put together through the efforts of three generations of Chinese artists, the new storyline integrates plot points from the previous version to present a fresh take on the classic. 

Each year around the New Year holiday, the joy and enthusiasm of the ballet troupe leads it to ring out the year with amazing performances. The year 2020 will be no different as the NBC will present a new ballet drama titled New Year on January 2-3, 2021.   

Dancing Girl performed on Tuesday

Meanwhile, to highlight the friendship forged between the NBC and Peking University over the past 20 some years, a New Year's ballet concert has been scheduled for January 6, 2021 at the Peking University Hall. 

Ahead of the 2021 Chinese New Year, the NBC will present Swan Lake on February 4-6 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts' opera house. 

The NBC will also take its performances on the road, presenting New Year and Red Detachment of Women at the Hangzhou Grand Theatre with the Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, on the nights of December 23-24 and 26-27, respectively. 

Dancing Girl performed on Tuesday

Red Detachment of Women will be performed at the Quanzhou Gran Theater on January 10. 

The Crane Calling will be presented at the Yancheng Culture and Art Center Grand Theater on January 14-15.

At the Shanghai Poly Grand Theatre, Ballet Boutique and Red Detachment of Women will be staged on January 19 and January 21-22, respectively. 

In Guangdong Province, Ballet Collection will be presented at the Zhongshan Culture Art Center on January 23-24 and at the Foshan Grand Theatre on January 27.