Students from the Zhongguancun No.2 Primary School perform ballet Wild Zebra. Photo: Courtesy of Liu Haidong

A Chinese ballet Wild Zebra, performed entirely by 8- to 12-year-old students, will step on stage at the Edinburgh International Festival on August 13, according to China Young Cultural Ambassadors (CYCA), the organization bringing the play overseas.

"The show will be staged at The Playhouse Edinburgh, the biggest playhouse in Britain, and right in the middle of the ongoing Edinburgh Festival," Jiang Tao, a spokesman for CYCA told the Global Times.

For months, a total of 150 students from Beijing's Zhongguancun No.2 Primary School have been rehearsing the ballet, which debuted at Tsinghua University in Beijing in early January. The show was created by Zhang Jigang, the director of the opening and closing ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics.

"Half of the students are dancers and the other half form a full symphony orchestra," Jiang added.

Through a story of a lovable wild zebra saving her loved ones from the paws of an evil bear, the show carries a universal message that looks to inspire young people throughout the world today: the importance of protecting wildlife and nurturing the environment. Because of this, the show has been made part of the official program for the 2015 China-UK Year of Cultural Exchange.

During the first half of 2015, a UK cultural display was held in China, while during the second half of the year a Chinese cultural display is set to be held in the UK.

Before heading to Edinburgh, the students will stage the ballet at a theater in London's West End.

Jiang said that they are currently trying to secure support and sponsorship for the nonprofit project.

Global Times