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The National Ballet of China (NBC) is back in the U.S. for a series of performances, such as their participation at the prestigious Lincoln Center Festival.
Arriving at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on July 5, orchestra musicians followed the next day. NBC decided to bring its in-house orchestra comprising of 76 musicians.
NBC has joined other renowned artists from different parts of the world for this year’s Lincoln Center Festival. The multi-arts event in New York takes place from July 6 to Aug. 2.
China’s national ballet troupe is scheduled to interpret two of the country’s notable works of art.
“The Peony Pavilion,” a Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) play about a supernatural love story, debuted at the Lincoln Center Plaza’s David H. Koch Theater on July 8. The last performance was staged on July 10.
With principal dancer Ma Xiaodong as Liu Mengmei and prima ballerina Zhu Yan as Du Liniang, the “The Peony Pavilion” is a story adaption of Tang Xianzu’s literary masterpiece (“Mudan Ting”). Originally involving 55 scenes, the famous opera normally runs for 20 hours, but NBC transformed it into a two-act, two-hour production.
The people behind the ballet include Li Liuyi, director; Feng Ying (who trained Zhu Yan), artistic director; Fei Bo, choreographer; and Japanese Academy Award-winning costume designer (for Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran”), Emi Wada.
The stage was designed by Michael Simon with assistants Sandra Draschaft and Gong Xun. The lighting design was also by Simon together with Han Jiang.
Guo Wenjing is the composer, music arranger and orchestrator assisted by Chen Xinruo. Guo was the composer for the 2004 chamber opera “Feng Yi Ting,” which was staged at New York’s John Jay College on July 25-27 as part of the 2012 Lincoln Center Festival.
“Peony’s” producer Zhao Ruheng was also the artistic director and producer of “Raise the Red Lantern,” which NBC performed on Sept. 16-18, 2005, at the University of California’s Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, U.S.A. Zhang Yimou (“Hero,” “House of Flying Daggers’’) was in charge of the libretto, direction and lighting design. It was an adaptation of his 1991 film of the same title.
Scheduled for July 11-12, “The Red Detachment of Women” is a classic Chinese ballet about a girl joining the Red Army. Adapted from Liang Xin’s novel, it is regularly performed by NBC.
Feng Ying is again the director and artistic director, and Li Chenxiang, Jiang Zuhui and Wang Xixian as choreographers. Stage designer Ma Yunhong teamed up with lighting designer Liang Hongzhou.
Huang Zhun composed the theme song, “The Song of Detachment.” The rest of the composers are Dai Hongwei, Du Mingxin, Shi Wanchun, Wang Yanqiao and Wu Zuqiang.
The 55-year-old ballet ensemble, founded in Dec. 1959, will also perform at the Filene Center at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Virginia on July 14, in the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College in New York on July 18, and in New York’s Saratoga Performing Arts Center on July 21-22.
The last time the National Ballet of China performed in the Big Apple was in 2005. They’re back, making a brand new start of it in New York.