American Ballet Theatre returns to China after 10 years with “Classics Old and New”, a program of three varied works encompassing contemporary as well as classical choreography, said Susan Jaffe, the group’s artistic director.
ABT’s 85 dancers performed for opening night at the Shanghai Grand Theater. This tour marks a revival of cultural exchanges between China and the United States.
After four nights of performing in Shanghai, ABT will move to Beijing, where it will stage its highly acclaimed version of the renowned ballet “Giselle”. The performance will take place at the National Center for the Performing Arts from Nov 9 to Nov 12. This is definitely an event you shouldn’t miss if you’re in the area!
Susan Jaffe said “It’s a very special year for me”. And we are sure it is! Susan Jaffe took over as the company’s artistic director less than a year ago. Her last performance in China was in 2000 as a principal dancer. She added: “Ballet is a universal language. We share emotion and beauty and form and musicality and love through our art form. For Americans to be able to share this love and this universal language with the Chinese people at this moment in time of cultural exchange is a very healing experience for everyone — for us, and we also hope for the Chinese people.”
The shows were initially scheduled for 2021 but were postponed due to the pandemic.
American Ballet Theatre returns to China with an amazing show whose trailer you can watch here:
Zhang Xiaoding, general manager of the Shanghai Grand Theatre, said it had been looking forward to resuming its relationship with ABT as soon as possible. And we’re glad it’s finally happening! In a moment like this, culture can really have the power of improving relations between countries and people.
A 43-year-old Shanghai resident, Zhu Xiaoyi, who took ballet classes during her school years, watched the inaugural performance on Thursday. She said cultural exchanges between the U.S. and China “are very necessary” at this time. “I hope that through cultural exchange … communications and exchanges in other fields can increase,” she added.
American Ballet Theatre returns to China for presenting a real masterpiece you shouldn’t miss, both for its artistic and cultural value.
We hope this post got you inspired for your personal dance events!
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