Raise the Red Lantern, National Ballet of China
*Tickets are available for this event. See booking button below.
Event location: Royal Opera House.
 The National Ballet of China, one of the world's great ballet companies, is appearing for the first time on the stage of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden under the artistic direction of Sonia Zhao. Founded in 1959, based on the finest traditions of Russian classical dance, it has become renowned both for its outstanding productions of the traditional classics and for its inspired blending of Chinese culture and history with classical western elements. The Company has toured worldwide, winning international acclaim for its outstanding artistic achievements in Western and Chinese classical and contemporary ballet.
In 1991, Raise the Red Lantern, a film by celebrated director Zhang Yumou, stunned the cinematic world with its astonishing depiction of a feudal world in which a young woman is forced against her will to become the concubine of an old lord. Together with choreographer Wang Xinpeng, Zhang subsequently translated this tragic story into a dazzling ballet, created especially for The National Ballet of China. Emotionally charged scenes of love, jealously, intrigue and loyalty are realised through stunning choreography, sumptuous sets, glorious period costumes and a lush, exciting musical score to create a uniquely Chinese style of ballet theatre, remarkable for its breathtaking blend of Chinese theatrical forms with traditional ballet.
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