National Ballet of China on top form in HK
In late January, the National Ballet of China returned to Hong Kong after two years, to open the “Grace of China, Flowing through Hong Kong" performance series at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. They brought two beloved 19th century classics to the local audiences - “Giselle”, and its Chinese version of “The Nutcracker” which is retitled “Chinese New Year”.
It’s always a pleasure to see this great company which fortunately visits Hong Kong regularly. The company’s excellent schooling and its great corps de ballet are always its strongest assets. The present director is Zhu Yan, a distinguished former principal of the company.
The second programme “Chinese New Year” is a clever adaptation of “The Nutcracker” which was premiered in 2010. The chief choreographer is Zhao Ming, with additional choreography by Wang Yuanyuan and Feng Ying, the company’s former director. It follows the same approach of Hong Kong Ballet’s localized version of “Nutcracker” which celebrates the city’s unique culture.
The magician Drosselmeyer becomes a Westerner who visits the family during the Chinese New Year celebration. Clara is renamed Yuanyan. In the battle scene, we see instead an army of tigers instead of toy soldiers who are fighting the rats. In the snow scene, there is a new character, the Crane Queen, instead of the Snow Queen in some versions. This Crane Queen appears in Clara’s dream.
In Act 2, the national dances have been imaginatively adapted. The Mother Ginger dance is turned into a dance celebrating prosperity with a golden ingot and children joining in the dance. The waltz of the flowers is turned into a dance to showcase Chinese ceramics, with dancers dressed in the classic blue and white of Chinese porcelain. The grand pas de deux in Act 2 has new but rather bland choreography. It was nevertheless well danced by Feng Mengying and Chen Zhuming who are both excellent principals of the company.
The first programme was the 2014 production of the classic “Giselle” by Feng Ying. The choreographic text is faithful to the traditional choreography in this fine production which is derived from the landmark production of this classic by Sir Anton Dolin. It is commendable that the mime of Giselle’s mother foretelling her death is retained, unlike some Western productions. The ending however is slightly prolonged, and loses its impact.
The National Ballet’s female corps de ballet is uniform and excellent as in the past. In the title role was Qiu Yunting. Qiu is an exceptional dancer, fine-boned and long limbed. She was fragile as the peasant Giselle, and almost weightless as the wili. And she had a phenomenal technique. Qiu was certainly a revelation on this tour to Hong Kong. Her partner was Li Wentao, a handsome principal. He was superb as her lover, and technically dazzling in Act 2. Liu Xuechen was impressive as the Queen of the Wilis.
This Hong Kong tour has revealed the exceptional strength of the National Ballet’s top rank at present, as exemplified by Qiu Yunting and Li Wentao. Qiu would be an asset to any of the top ballet companies in Europe or the USA. Next time it will be even better if the National Ballet can bring its own orchestra instead of using recorded music.
Photo – courtesy of National Ballet of China
Dancers – Li Wentao & Qiu Yunting in Giselle
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