A Night with English ballet
By Zhang Qian |
May 2, 2012, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
"A Night with the English National Ballet" will present five classical excerpts by 10 top dancers from tomorrow through Saturday at the historic Lyceum Theater.
The theater is no stranger to great ballet.
Eighty-one years ago, Margot Fonteyn (later Dame Margot) made her dance premiere in China (she used to live in Shanghai) on the stage of the theater. She became the biggest star of the Royal Ballet.
The performance is part of the UK "Now Program" presented by the British Consulate General in Shanghai. It's also part of the Shanghai International Arts Festival, which this year will span 12 months, instead of one month.
A large painting of Fonteyn (1919-1991) in a simple costume stands in the entry hall of the theater. It was on the Lyceum stage that Fonteyn first danced in public.
Her English father was a businessman in China and Fonteyn lived in Tianjin and Shanghai for six years, studying with famous Russian ballet teachers.
The Fonteyn history adds to the ambience of the event.
"I had a hard think about what to present in Shanghai this time," says producer Barry Plews, "We know the English National Ballet, we know Lyceum, but how to put all the things together, that was the question."
Many factors were considered, size of the stage, weight and balance of the program and the characteristics of the ballet company.
"It cannot be a too big program because of the small-scale stage, and it cannot be too rich, because if every dish is spectacular, people soon get tired," Plews says. He decided on a collection of the best classic excerpts, accompanied only by piano. He convinced everyone though there were skeptics at first.
Classic pas de deux from "Don Quixote," "Manon" and "Black Swan," excerpts from "Apollo" and "Suite en Blanc" will be presented.
Principal dancers of the Shanghai Ballet will bring pas a deux from "La Sylphide."
"I wanted it to be classical in every aspect, just as it would have been in the 1930s," Plews says. That includes stage, lighting and costumes.
Footlights will be used to recreate a 1930s atmosphere, and all the costumes are in the traditional, classical style. Costumes for "Apollo" are designed by Karl Lagerfeld, general designer for Chanel.
"It is not complicated, but close to the audience," Plews says, "which poses challenges for the dancers since all the focus will be on them. If they are not good, you will know it immediately."
Date: May 3-5, 7:30pm
Address: 57 Maoming Rd S.
Tickets: 100-680 yuan (US$15.92-108.28)
Tel: 962-388
The theater is no stranger to great ballet.
Eighty-one years ago, Margot Fonteyn (later Dame Margot) made her dance premiere in China (she used to live in Shanghai) on the stage of the theater. She became the biggest star of the Royal Ballet.
The performance is part of the UK "Now Program" presented by the British Consulate General in Shanghai. It's also part of the Shanghai International Arts Festival, which this year will span 12 months, instead of one month.
A large painting of Fonteyn (1919-1991) in a simple costume stands in the entry hall of the theater. It was on the Lyceum stage that Fonteyn first danced in public.
Her English father was a businessman in China and Fonteyn lived in Tianjin and Shanghai for six years, studying with famous Russian ballet teachers.
The Fonteyn history adds to the ambience of the event.
"I had a hard think about what to present in Shanghai this time," says producer Barry Plews, "We know the English National Ballet, we know Lyceum, but how to put all the things together, that was the question."
Many factors were considered, size of the stage, weight and balance of the program and the characteristics of the ballet company.
"It cannot be a too big program because of the small-scale stage, and it cannot be too rich, because if every dish is spectacular, people soon get tired," Plews says. He decided on a collection of the best classic excerpts, accompanied only by piano. He convinced everyone though there were skeptics at first.
Classic pas de deux from "Don Quixote," "Manon" and "Black Swan," excerpts from "Apollo" and "Suite en Blanc" will be presented.
Principal dancers of the Shanghai Ballet will bring pas a deux from "La Sylphide."
"I wanted it to be classical in every aspect, just as it would have been in the 1930s," Plews says. That includes stage, lighting and costumes.
Footlights will be used to recreate a 1930s atmosphere, and all the costumes are in the traditional, classical style. Costumes for "Apollo" are designed by Karl Lagerfeld, general designer for Chanel.
"It is not complicated, but close to the audience," Plews says, "which poses challenges for the dancers since all the focus will be on them. If they are not good, you will know it immediately."
Date: May 3-5, 7:30pm
Address: 57 Maoming Rd S.
Tickets: 100-680 yuan (US$15.92-108.28)
Tel: 962-388
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