The Chinese ballet "Raise the Red Lantern" premiered in Amsterdam on Monday night, and the production was rewarded with a standing ovation from the Dutch audience.

 

The dangling red lanterns are being lightened up to unveil the magnificent production. Accompanied by flowing music, the young dancers, in high collars and close-fitted silks, swirl about the stage.

The original choreography for dancers on point is matched by the brilliance of the staging. The one-and-a-half hour show generated waves of applause.

"Raise the Red Lantern" is adapted from an eponymous film by Zhang Yimou and premiered in 2001. So far, it has run for four-hundred shows to over 400,000 audience members.

The original production has helped to earn the National Ballet of China its international reputation as a fine, exciting young company.