The National Ballet of China during their latest reheasal for the upcoming performances at the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center from July 5 to 6.Photo: Courtesy of the National Ballet of China

The National Ballet of China during their latest reheasal for the upcoming performances at the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center from July 5 to 6.Photo: Courtesy of the National Ballet of China

 From  July 5 to 6, Fei Bo, a senior choreographer at the National Ballet of China (NBC), will hold his own choreographed performances at the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center. 

The performance is part of NBC's "20 Years" program, a unique memorial series that celebrates outstanding ballet dancers' contributions to the NBC. This commemorative program advocated by NBC head Feng Ying has seen a number of previous lead NBC dancers such as Zhu Yan, Zhang Jian, and Wang Qimin return to the stage.

The upcoming event marks the first time that the "20 Years" program will invite a non-lead dancer to perform. 

Though not a lead dancer at the NBC, Fei's prodigious talent and impressive works have made him a valuable contributor to the troupe. 

The performance will consist of 10 selected works, displaying key moments in his ballet career.

"I have learned a lot about choreography from my predecessors and successfully showcased my works as a member of the NBC. I want to regard this show as an opportunity to review my problems and deeds as a ballet choreographer," said Fei.

"I hope more people can get to know what it means to persist with creating and hope my experience can inspire more artists to constantly make breakthroughs," said Fei, talking about his experience as a choreographer.

Among the works, three are based on traditional Chinese culture, Dunhuang, Confucius 2012, and The Peony Pavilion, the last one a dance adapted from the romantic tragicomedy play written by dramatist Tang Xianzu during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Fei's ability to draw upon the inspiration of Chinese painting, literature, and opera has helped pave the road to explore the localization of ballet.

The rest of the performances either focus on the mental world of modern people or on expressing the inexhaustible power of life in the face of dilemmas.

In the other half of the performance, the audience will be able to immerse themselves in a dance based on William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Fei composed the dance routine, his salute to classical ballet dancing, in 2014, showing his understanding toward this 1601 English tragedy.

"A 20-yearperiod tends to cover a dancer's entire ballet career, but for a choreographer, the 20-year mark is a new fresh start for himto show his ballet talent," noted Feng.

Global Times