Promotional material of National Ballet of China worshop Photo: Courtesy of National Ballet of China

The National Ballet of China will perform seven original ballets at Beijing's Tainqiao Theater on Thursday and Friday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The show is set to be one of the largest ballet performances to be held during the COVID-19 pandemic. The seven ballets were created during the National Ballet of China's 11th workshop and are themed on "original aspirations" and "creativity." Most of the music is based on the works of world famous classical musicians including Ludwig van Beethoven, Arvo Part and Max Richter.

"'Original aspirations' and 'creativity' are a pair of causality. It is precisely because we persevere with the ideals we had when we started that we have been able to continuously introduce new people and produce new works," said Wang Sizhen, chief director of the ballet show.

The producers drew inspiration from China's revolutionary history. The show Shanhe, which will be performed by 40 ballet dancers, will depict China's wonderful landscape through their choreography.

"In the work, I used the dancers' bodies to construct a magnificent 'mountain and river picture' to express my deep feelings for our motherland," said Li Yang, director of Shanhe.

Global Times