China Will Stage a New Interpretation of 'Swan Lake'

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, March 14, 2003

China Will Stage a New Interpretation of 'Swan Lake'

The National Ballet of China will stage a re-choreographed version of the much-loved Swan Lake.

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The National Ballet of China will stage a re-choreographed version of the much-loved Swan Lake.

"Everybody knows the story, so what counts is how to tell it," said stage designer Yi Liming, explaining what was on the mind of all of those working on a totally new Swan Lake production.

It is true to be a challenge for ambitious company, after it successfully produced several new shows like "Raise the Red Lanterns," "Coppelia" and "Fountain of Tears" over the last two years.

To some degree, revising a successful classic work which has won world-wide popular support for more than a century is much more difficult than creating something fresh.

One of the best classic ballet production in the world, "Swan Lake" is also among the permanent repertoire of the National Ballet of China.

In 1959, Pyotr Gusev and some other ballet masters from the former Soviet Union helped to establish the national company, which was based on the Beijing Dance School.

The first students of the school, including Zhao Ruheng, the current president of the company, performed "Swan Lake" when they had only received three years of training.

The National Ballet of China kept performing Gusev's version until 1996. Ever since, the company has revised the original version slightly.

As early as 2000, Zhao and her ballet masters have thought of producing a new version while they realized the dancers and audience were calling for a fresh "Swan Lake".

The new version is more concise and dramatic and the choreography emphasizes characterization, according to Zhao.

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