Photo: Courtesy of National Ballet of China

The National Ballet of China staged the ballet La Chauve-Souris, or The Bat, during the National Day holidays at Beijing's Tianqiao Theatre. 

Ending its run on Monday, the show, a classic work by French dancer and choreographer Roland Petit, was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the artist, who worked with the Chinese ballet company for the first time in 2005 for performances of Carmen and L'Arlesienne. In 2006, Petit worked with the company again, staging his Pink Floyd Ballet.

Different from these classic ballet performances, this light work follows the story of Johann, who becomes bored with his wife, Bella, despite her beauty and whiles away his time at Maxim's in the hope of seducing someone else. With the help from Ulrich, their children's tutor, Bella clips the wings of Johann, who was dressing up as a bat, and causes him to return to his family. 

With a team of young dancers, the highlights also include a group dance, which brings the joy and beauty of ballet to the stage.