Ballet Opera "The Dream of the Red Mansions"

Time: 2008-11-13, 14 20:00
Venue:  Friendship Theater
Tickets: ￥80/180/280/380 
Booking tel: 4008103721 8008103721 020-87768558

This ballet opera performed by Guangzhou Ballet Troupe is based on Chinese classic novel "The Dream of the Red Mansions". The drama revised the classical story very boldly. Even hip-hop dance and Rock'n'Roll are introduced. The producers said that they hope this ballet drama would revive Chinese ballet and exceed traditional ballet dramas such as Bai Maonv and Raise the Red Lantern.

The Guangzhou Ballet Troupe, established in January 1994, is headed by famous dancer Zhang Dandan. Over the past five years, the ballet troupe has staged a lot of ballet classics including full scenes of Coppelia, Swan Lake; selected scenes from Amelia Goes to the Ball, Ramuntcho, Bartok, and Chinese-style ballet Lan Huahua, Goddess of the Luo River, symphonic ballet Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No 2, in C Minor, Youth Concerto, violin concerto ballet Butterfly Lovers, ballet dramas Anna Karenina, La Traviata and Romeo and Juliet. In 1997, the ballet troupe's new program, the Chinese style Black Phoenix won the Excellent Ballet Program Award, Excellent Screenplay Award, Excellent Directing and Excellent Music Award in the Fifth China Drama Festival. Leading performers Zou Gang, Tong Shusheng and Chao Lemeng won the Excellent Performance Awards.

Synopsis

A youngster living in a modern city once entered into "red mansion" through dream and changed into Jia Baoyu when he read, on computer, the fifth section of A Dream of Red Mansions. In his dream, the boy became an enviable nobility, and at last he chose Dai Yu as his wife instead of Bao Chai. However, because of Grandmother Jia's ruthless obstruction, the bride changed at the wedding ceremony, she was Bao Chai but not Dai Yu. Soon after that, Dai Yu died with a gnawing regret and Bao Chai turned mad. Thus, Jia Baoyu had to bury his dream and hope and missed Dai Yu by burying withered buds. At last, the boy waked up from the dream and found many sorts of difficulties and pressure of living rushing at him. He made up his mind not to live with a negative attitude as Jia Baoyu did but rise up, go ahead and control his own fate all by himself...

Specialists' Reviews

This is a successful ballet which shows us a kind of just join between music, stage art, light, dress, making-up and other sides, each of which scenes is a meticulous creation, which can be described with the words as following "a spectacular sight, a wonderful image."

by Mr. Jia Zuoguang
Honorary President of Chinese Dancers Assocaition

The "new aesthetics" is used straight to the point in this ballet, and it has a significance of independent innovation and a strong artistic color of breakthrough. Its dramatic structure shows a style of story and its choreography skill is rich in verbalization. It shows a fresh bearing for ballet creation and this kind of bearing is full of courage.

by Mr. Feng Shuangbai
Executive Vice-president & Secretary of Party Committee Chinese Dancers Association

Source: www.piao.com.cn

Editor: Jessie Hwang