Since its premiere at Moscow's Bolshoi Theater in 1887, Swan
Lake has become arguably the most popular ballet ever created. It's
estimated that 1 in every 10 ballets performed in Russia are Swan
Lake.
With the help of artists from the former Soviet Union, China
founded its first ballet company and the first Chinese swan was
born in 1959.
Since then, New Year doesn't happen here without a Swan Lake
performance. This time the swans will be flying in from London.
The world acclaimed English National Ballet will perform the
classic Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ballet at the Century Theater. The
company's leading dancers, Agnes Oaks and Thomas Edur, will perform
the roles of Odette/Odile and the Prince.
The English National Ballet first performed the complete
four-act ballet in Verona in 1964, and this production by Derek
Deane is the company's ninth production of Swan Lake.
In 1997, the English National Ballet spent 1.8 million pounds
($3.5 million) on the production that premiered at the Royal Albert
Hall in London. Sixty swans, dozens of extras, hundreds of
costumes, dry ice and strobe lighting caused a sensation and it has
since been enjoyed by over 300,000 people.
Chen Jie
7:30 pm, Jan 30 - Feb 3
Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District
9609-6260
(China Daily January 25, 2008)
