Acclaimed German choreographer Patrick de Bana is known for bold works, notably the Shanghai Ballet’s original production of “Jane Eyre” making its UK debut next week at the London Coliseum.

The contemporary ballet premiered at Shanghai Grand Theatre last November and was praised domestically before it went international. It will be staged in London from next Wednesday to Saturday (August 14-17).

The ballet breaks new “Jane Eyre” ground by placing Bertha Mason, the “mad” wife of Edward Rochester, firmly center stage, along with governess Jane Eyre and moody Rochester. In the 1847 novel by Charlotte Bronte, Mason is violent and locked in an attic. Most versions of the novel do not give her a prominent role.

“I asked Shanghai Ballet to give me space for creating Bertha Mason, to bring her alive and give her place in the story, which she deserves,” de Bana told Shanghai Daily in a recent interview.

“I actually prefer Mason to Jane Eyre. Mason died of love, and for me the story of the ballet without Mason would be impossible to imagine.”

Born in Hamburg, de Bana had a German mother and Nigerian father. He studied at the School of Hamburg Ballet founded and directed by John Neumeier. For years he was principal dancer at the Spanish National Ballet.

A bit risky

In recent years he has choreographed ballets about Marie Antoinette and Cleopatra and said he likes developing ballets about strong historical characters. He also said he would like to create a ballet around an infamous 16th century Hungarian countess and serial killer. She is said to have bathed the blood of the hundreds of murdered girls. “It’s evil and it’s madness,” he said of the story’s allure.

As for “Jane Eyre,” he made two trips to Shanghai in June and July to put the finishing touches on the production before the troupe leaves for London.

“It’s a bit risky, because it’s a Chinese company performing an English novel, so this is why we are working very hard on every little detail because we are telling the English history,” de Bana said.

The production features dramatic choreography, an atmospheric set and costumes that blend Victorian and contemporary style.

The familiar story of Jane Eyre — the love between a governess and master of an English manor — is a universal story, he said.

“Sad stories happen all over the world. Hopefully the English public will not mind that we are there to touch English history,” de Bana said. “There is place and space for everyone and everyone’s ideas.”

His latest creation “Rite of Spring” features African ritual sacrifice of baby twins, once considered a curse. It debuted in June at Russia’s Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre. To reinterpret Stravinsky’s master orchestral work and Nijinsky’s choreography, he went back to African history for the 100th anniversary of the ballet’s premiere in Paris in 1913. At that time it caused a sensation and near riot because of the avant-garde music and choreography. It’s about a young girl chosen as a sacrifice who must dance to death, encircled by old men, to awaken spring.

“I brought African history on the stage,” de Bana said. He depicted African ritual, evoking legends of the Yoruba people in southwestern Nigeria.

He also drew on the ancient practice (no longer observed) of killing baby twins by abandoning them in the bush, and chasing the mother away from the village because twins and mother were considered cursed.

“The sacrifice is the sacrifice. Every day people are sacrificing, and especially in Africa, traditionally there’s witchcraft and dark magic. So for me, I had to sit down and think about bringing the spirits on the stage,” de Bana said.

The costumes are African-inspired. De Bana spent six weeks on “Rite of Spring” choreography.

“I work fast, I create fast in order to have time to make changes before the curtains go up,” de Bana said. “I work very much with energy and emotions, dancers have to be diving into this ancient craziness in order to develop something.”

Principal dancer

De Bana joined the Bejart Ballet Lausanne in 1987 after leaving the School of Hamburg Ballet and soon was promoted to principal dancer. In 1992 he joined the Spanish National Dance Company, directed by Nacho Duato and remained for more than 10 years as principal dancer. In 2003 he founded his own company, Navas Dance Company.

Choreography was not his chosen path at first. Then he was asked by a dancer in his company to create one piece, then another and another.

“It’s funny, I never wanted to become a choreographer. When I cannot dance any more, I wanted to leave the city, live in the country and breed dogs,” he said. “I wanted to get away from this ballet world because sometimes it can be very intense, so I actually wanted to get close to nature.” De Bana loves dogs and has three big ones.

He called ballet his “playground,” saying, “I love being in the ballet studio and developing a dream. Basically I am dreaming.”

One of his favorite ballets is “Bolero” choreographed by Maurice Bejart Ravel’s famous orchestral work.

“I started learning it to dance myself, but then I left the company before I had the chance to step on the table,” he said, referring to Bejart’s choreography in which dancers perform on a big red table. “This is something I would turn back in time to do. I love it, it’s one of the most amazing pieces because it comes from the inside.”

“Bolero” is also the one work that he would not touch as a choreographer.

In 2010 de Bana created “Marie Antoinette” for the Vienna State Opera, telling the story of the extravagant French queen who was beheaded during the French Revolution. He saw her as a tragic and misunderstood figure who paid for what many kings and queens had done before her.

“They just needed somebody, you know, human beings are like this. They always needed somebody responsible for their own sins and miseries,” the choreographer said.

In 2012, “Marie Antoinette” was nominated for the Benois de la Danse prize established in Moscow by International Dance Association.

De Bana’s contemporary choreography has strong classical foundation, so his works reflect two worlds.

“My education is purely classical and my steps are stronger in classical influence. It’s a more structured and architectural product,” he said.

Asked about some contemporary choreography that some people find incomprehensible or distasteful, such as works that involve screaming and nudity, de Bana said it all depends on how it’s done.

“If you do those things, you have to have strong reasons behind it, and has to be understandable,” de Bana said.

“I always try to do ballet as elegantly as possible, even death, not the cheap way,” he said. “I’m looking for the poetic side of love and death.”

As for aspiring choreographers, he advises them to “just be themselves. There is no school, it has to be something coming from the heart and soul.”

“It has to be honest.

“Don’t forget where you come from in order to know where you are going. It’s the only way. If you turn your back to your past, say nothing to the future.”