Turandot is no stranger to opera fans around the world, while Mei Lanfang is acclaimed as one of the most renowned masters of the Peking Opera.
But imagine both of them danced on the pointe?
That's what Guangzhou Ballet Company has tried and they are bringing the two productions to Beijing this week.
Turandot is to be staged at Tianqiao Theatre on Thursday and Friday, and Mei Lanfang on Saturday and Sunday. And the company's Beijing tour also includes the holiday celebration Nutcracker tonight and tomorrow.
Turandot
Fascinated by Puccini's music for the opera Turandot, Zhang Dandan, president and artistic director of Guangzhou Ballet Company, commissioned well-known Russo-French choreographer Andre Prokovsky to revive the story of the Chinese princess through dance.
"Puccini's score touched me and I believed the music could be arranged for a ballet," said Zhang, recalling how she initiated the production during the break of a rehearsal at Tianqiao Theatre.
"Based on a Chinese story, it also conforms to the common ambition that all of China's five ballet companies share -- to produce new Chinese ballets, following the early and much-acclaimed Red Detachment of Women and White-haired Girl."
Prokovsky, 63, has already co-operated with Guangzhou Ballet on two productions -- Anna Karenina and La Traviata.
His Turandot is on pointe, with a classically beautiful solo, pas de deux and variation, but also with a rich Chinese flavour, especially for the ensemble.
Puccini, with his scant knowledge of China, took great liberties. Turandot, his final opera, was actually inspired by Turandotte, written by the Venetian author Carlo Gozzi in 1762.
The story reads like an archetypal European myth: A disguised prince seeks the hand of the haughty Princess Turandot, who, avenging the humiliation and death of her mother, kills all suitors who cannot answer her three riddles. Though he succeeds, he promises to sacrifice himself if she can learn his name, and wins her for good only after a kiss.
Most observers have long accepted that Puccini's work takes place in that hazy, mythic Orient that has for centuries existed only in the minds of the West.
But some Chinese critics have complained that the princess bears none of the grace and humility of a true ancient Chinese lady.
However, the ballet is from the Chinese view, even though the choreographer is also a foreigner, said Zhang.
"I talked with Prokovsky about Chinese people's minds and emotions and we finally reached a consensus that the ballet focuses on Turandot's complicated inner emotions. She is a woman struggling between her hate for men and desire for true love," Zhang said.
Similar to the opera, the ballet climaxes at the death of Liu'er. Turandot is shocked by her death and her love for Calaf and finally accepts Calaf's love.
"We want to show that the power of love eliminates all hatred," she said.
Prokovsky's choreography is a challenge to Tong Shusheng and Fu Shu, prima ballerinas of the company, who star as the Chinese princess.
"Her desire, anxiety and hatred all turn out to be passionate and require leaps and turns," said Tong.
Rearranged by 32-year-old composer Huang Qiuyuan, who is based in Guangzhou, the score preserves much notes and tunes of Puccini while being injected with some of Huang's own composition.
"Puccini provides me with the best score, and I just rearranged some parts to make it easy to dance to," Huang said.
Turandot successfully premiered in July 2001 in Guangzhou.
Mei Lanfang
In contrast to Turandot -- an adaptation of a classical Western opera by a Russo-French choreographer -- Mei Lanfang is arguably an all-Chinese production.
Based on the life of Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang (1894-1961), the ballet, choreographed by Canadian-Chinese choreographer Fu Xingbang, is nothing short of revolutionary in Chinese ballet.
Revered as both an artist and a patriot, Mei, who is famous for performing female roles, is credited with bringing the classical Chinese art form to audiences around the world.
Mei's legendary life and rich experiences provide impressive stories, but at the same time, make it difficult for choreographers to determine which material to use and which to leave out.
After discussion with Zhang, choreographer Fu decided to focus on his stage performances and naturally selected four major female protagonists that Mei offered unforgettable portrayals on the stage. The four female roles also provide a link through the ballet that attempts to highlight Mei's whole life as an artist.
The roles demonstrate the different emotions and personalities of four different women in Chinese history:
Mu Guiying, an ancient woman general who defended her home and fought invaders with courage and bravery.
Zhao Yanrong, a corrupt and immoral official's daughter, bears great suffering when her husband was killed by her father and has to pretend to go insane to escape her father's other marriage arrangement.
Yang Yuhuan, a Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) beauty and emperor's favoured concubine who is forced to hang herself to save the empire.
Yu Ji, the favored concubine of general Xiang Yu who was defeated by Liu Bang, founder of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24), begs to be killed before Xiang Yu kills himself.
But it resulted in another problem, who dances the part of Mei, a male dancer or a ballerina?
"The problem troubled me for a long time and I finally broke free from the usual rule that a character is only played by one person," Fu said.
In the ballet, leading dancer Chao Lemeng dances Mei in real life, meanwhile, ballerina Tong Shusheng, Fu Shu, Wang Jun and Yu Rui star in the four female roles, and the five dance together in some scenes, and Chao and each of the four ballerinas have impressive pas de deux.
Another problem Fu has to think about during choreographing is how to deal with Peking Opera in a Western-style ballet.
Raise the Red Lantern was the first to do it, marrying elements from Peking Opera and classical ballet, but Mei Lanfang goes further.
In Raise the Red Lantern, Peking Opera is just a scene in one act that develops the plot, but in Mei Lanfang, the leading character is an actor of Peking Opera and Peking Opera is his entire life.
It really was a challenge for the Guangzhou-born Canadian choreographer. The two genres belong to two very different cultures and both have some fixed routines to follow.
The choreographer should have good knowledge of both the arts, knowing how to combine them into a cross-cultural production. Improper choreographing might lose the charm of Peking Opera and also fail to maintain the elegance of ballet.
"The two genres are just like two separate mountains," Fu said. "But I hope my work is like the tunnel through which I can travel freely between the two."
He has done a good job, allowing the ballerinas dressed in costumes and make-up for Peking Opera to dance on the pointe without looking awkward.
His choreography fuses the leaps and pirouettes of classical ballet with all the accoutrements of Peking Opera to leave a lasting impression on the audience.
Among the four roles, Mu Guiying is a woman with martial arts skills, Tong even performs some simple acrobatics and stunts besides the ballet movements.
And Fu Shu, starring as Zhao Yanrong, dances in the costume with long white silk sleeves which is specially used in traditional Chinese operas such as Peking Opera. The long sleeves lend grace to the ballet choreography.
The treatment of the story is equally impressive. The Peking Opera master's meeting with screen legend Charlie Chaplin; his participation in the protest against the Japanese occupation of China; and the hand-over of his Peking Opera legacy to his students were just some scenes that testify to the choreographer's artistic sensibility and sensitivity, without any compromise in style.
"The production is a ballet of Eastern charm," said Xiao Suhua, professor with Beijing Academy of Dance.
But there is also criticism concerning the characters' portrayal and some of the choreography. "The dance numbers of the four female roles are monotonous and lacking variation. In too many scenes, the four dance somewhat identical movements around Mei, who appears to be in deep thought," said Ou Jianping, Beijing-based dance critic.
"The character of Mei looks pale, and it is a little difficult for the audiences to catch the relationship between the male dancer and the four female roles, although it is an innovative idea to depict Mei and his profession with five dancers," said Li Chengxiang, former president of the National Ballet of China, who is one of the main choreographers of the acclaimed Red Detachment of Women.
Compared with the choreography, the music composed by Liu Tingyu won arguable acclaim. The symphonic work features string and percussion instruments particular to the Peking Opera. Following a fixed pattern, with a variety of melodies and rhythms, the music accompanies the dancers' leaping and turning well.
The composer had supposed that the dancers' pointes could match the rhythms of luogu (percussion instruments) and they have proven him right.
(China Daily December 23, 2002)
