The Stuttgart Ballet 2009 Beijing Tour will kick off at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) with a performance of "The Taming of the Shrew," the first time a comic ballet has been staged in China.

The first performance was on Friday and shows continue until Sunday. There will be a ballet gala mixed bill on Tuesday.

Created by choreographer John Cranko and first staged in 1969, the familiar Shakespeare story is exaggerated and tailored to the dancers.

There are three parts to the show, showing the interplay between men and women. In the first, the man takes control; in the second the woman has more power; while the third shows a more balanced relationship.

The ballet gala mixed bill features seven works by Cranko and three other Stuttgart Ballet choreographers, and will be like a dialogue between old and new generation ballet.

Music ranging from Debussy to Grieg, and Stravinsky to Rossini will be featured, while the dancers perform various routines in romantic, elegant and modern styles.

Stuttgart Ballet was the first troupe to visit China after the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), in 1980.

"People went crazy after they saw Stuttgart Ballet's performance," says Zhao Ruheng, art director of the NCPA. "We never knew ballet could be performed in that way, and it was so touching. Stuttgart Ballet's 1980 performance influenced the whole dance industry in China, and it brought neo-classicism to China."

The Taming of the Shrew

Time: 7:30 pm, Oct 9-11

Mixed Bill

Time: 7:30 pm, Oct 13

Venue: The National Center for the Performing Arts