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New ballet brings Chinese love epic to life
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THE Shanghai Ballet and the Shanghai Grand Theater are teaming up on a new ballet entitled “Echoes of Eternity,” which is set to make its world premiere on July 30.
Set in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), this new production is adapted from poet Bai Juyi’s epic work “Song of Everlasting Sorrow,” which tells of the love story between consort Yang Guifei and Emperor Xuanzong.
Yang is known as one of the “four beauties of ancient China.” While she won the heart of the emperor, An Lushan and his forces rebelled against Tang reign and demanded that Emperor Xuanzong put her to death.
For this new show, the Shanghai Ballet has once again enlisted German choreographer Patrick de Bana. Previously, de Bana created “Jane Eyre,” a ballet staged by the company back in 2012.
Known for his bold works and his ability to constantly break new ground, de Bana’s dances also explore the emotions which exist between the lines of the ballet’s source material.
“The inspiration was the original poem, I would very much like to try to see the invisible,” de Bana says. “I created this piece because I wanted to dream of the beautiful past and invite the past to the present.”
No stranger to developing ballets around strong historical characters, de Bana’s previous productions focused on figures such as Marie Antoinette and Cleopatra.
In addition to characters from history, de Bana also created a character known as the Lady of the Moon for “Echoes of Eternity,” who acts as a bridge between the past and present and a witness to events between Yang and the emperor.
Rather than using traditional Chinese music for a Chinese story, de Bana opted for compositions by Western composers, including Armand Amar from France.
“I see it as movie and try to bring dance to a new dimension,” he says.
The upcoming show is the third ballet co-produced by the Shanghai Ballet and the Shanghai Grand Theater, following “The Nutcracker” and “Jane Eyre.”
“The success of ‘Jane Eyre’ gained the Shanghai Ballet global recognition, and for ‘Echoes of Eternity’ we spent two years preparing the script and it will feature more than 50 dancers,” says Xin Lili, director of the ballet company.
Date: July 30-31, 7:15pm
Venue: Shanghai Grand Theater, 300 People’s Ave
Tickets: 80-680 yuan
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