Innovative ballet interprets tale of forbidden love

The powerful story of fleeting romance will be staged in "A Sigh of Love," the first original Sino-French ballet collaboration featuring director Bertrand d'At from the Ballet de L'Opera National.

The ballet co-production tells the love story of the writer Li and his neighbour Mrs Wong, set against the war-stricken backdrop of 1940s Shanghai.

"It combines the characteristics of classical and modern ballet with Chinese styles and edges," said d'At.

Xin Lili, artistic director of Shanghai Ballet Company, added: "The unique ballet production will demonstrate the artistic appeal of its richness, sadness, fashion, romance and reminiscence."

The local dance critic Bao Han believes that with the exquisite en-pointe techniques and featured modern ballet movement, the production will manage to intensely show a story of fleeting love.

"As is known to many, the Ballet de L'Opera National du Rhin is famous for its audaciously innovative dance language," she added. "D'At has contributed a lot to form the company's style."

Bao continued that d'At has placed high demands on the leading dancers - Fan Xiaofeng, Sun Shenyi, Ji Pingping and Wu Husheng -- asking them to always dance with the emotions and force appropriate for the development of the plot.

In the production two couples will appear on the stage.

Li and Mrs Wong are one couple who are neighbours deeply in love. However, they dare not hug each other because Mrs Wong is a married woman. The other couple is from Li's novel who love each other passionately.

Playwright Cao Lusheng said that ballet, as an art form famous for its gravity-zefying and delicate movements, will be most suitable to express the theme of the production: The best human love experience may just be as short as the delicate ephemeral flower blossom.

He continued that the unforgettable love in the production, in fact, is merely a wishful yearning for love that happens by chance usually between two reserved persons, and it is just the implication of love.

Cao added: "This kind of passion is best interpreted by a widely known Internet poem - The furthest distance in the world is not when I stand in front of you, yet you can't see my love, but when undoubtedly knowing the love from both you and me, yet we cannot be together. Young people today have raved about the poem with such passion."

The production team believes it will exactly reflect contemporary youth's understanding for love and gain excellent box office.

The production's stage and costume designer, Jerome Kaplan, a renowned French artist, was first known to Chinese audiences when he worked with film director Zhang Yimou on Zhang's first ballet production, "Raise the Red Lanterns High."

"Raise the Red Lanterns High" is regarded as a successful production in exploring the Chinese identity for the art of ballet, Bao explained.

Xin Lili, revealed that d'At has spent a lot of time remixing the music for the production and the audience will hear a great variety of music genres which were popular in Shanghai back then.

The then popular songs such as "The Blossom Youth,""The Night of Shanghai," "Four Seasons," Shanghai Jazz with White Russian style, and the theme song performed on "Sheng," a kind of Chinese wooden reed pipe, are all the music highlights, she said.

The dress rehearsal of the production will open to the public this Saturday at Shanghai Grand Theatre and the world premiere will be staged at Shanghai Oriental Art Centre during this year's China Shanghai International Art Festival.

(China Daily: Shanghai_Delta)

 

Back