Sherry "Featured Ballet"

Venue: Huang Hua Gang Theatre
Time: 2008-07-08, 09 20:00
Tickets: ￥280, 200, 150, 80

This ballet was adapted from the Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto. It is described a young woman named Zhu Ying Tai disguised herself as a man to attend a school in Hangzhou. On her way there, she met a fellow traveller and schoolmate named Liang Shan Bo.They became good friends and swore honorary brothers. For three years, they studied and lived together. Yet, Liang never realized that Zhu was a woman. Before their graduation, Zhu asked Liang to visit her in her hometown and promised to marry her "fictitious" younger sister to him. When Liang arrived, he was ecstatic to discover her true identity. However, their hope of marriage was soon dashed when Zhu's parents betrothed Zhu to their schoolmate Ma Wen Cai. Liang died of a broken heart. On Zhu's wedding day to Ma, she tore off her wedding gown and threw herself against Liang's tomb, which opened up and enveloped Zhu. Then, from the tomb, a pair of butterflies emerged.

This ballet used "the Yellow River" as the background, warmly praising the Chinese nation's long and glorious history and the strong and indomitable spirit of struggle of the Chinese people.

Swan Lake Act 2--Getting ahead of the group, Prince Siegfried finds himself a peaceful spot by an enchanted lake where swans gently float across its surface. While Siegfried watches, he spots the most beautiful swan with a crown on its head. His buddies soon catch up, but he orders them to leave so he can be by himself. As dusk falls, the swan with the crown turns into the most beautiful young woman he has ever seen. Her name is Odette, the Swan Queen. She informs the young prince that an evil sorcerer, Von Rothbart, who so happens to be disguised as Prince Siegfried's mentor, has turned her and the other girls into swans and that the lake was formed by the tears of their parents' weeping. She tells him that the only way the spell could be broken is if a man, pure in heart, pledges his love to her. The Prince, about to confess his love for her, is quickly interrupted by the evil sorcerer. He takes Odette from Prince Siegfried's embrace and commands all of the swan maidens to dance upon the lake and its shore so that the prince cannot chase them. Prince Siegfried is left all alone on the shore of Swan Lake.

Source: www.emma.cn

Editor: Jessie Hwang