When legendary German choreographer Pina Bausch heard the
National Ballet of China would perform The Red Detachment of
Women to open the National Grand Theater on September 25, this
year's Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, she extended her stay in
Beijing.
"The theater is amazing," says Bausch, who watched the rehearsal
in the new theater. "The opera hall for ballet is splendid."
President of the National Ballet of China Zhao Ruheng
accompanied Bausch for the show.
"The theater is huge, and the stage is more spacious than those
in Tianqiao Theater and Poly Theater," says Zhao. "The size of the
huge stage would challenge dancers' abilities to perform with
energy."
The principal ballerina Zhu Yan, who performed the leading role
in The Red Detachment of Women, shared Zhao's view. "The
stage is so huge that it demands a lot of energy from the dancers
if they are to command it."
But the dancers are less concerned about the stage's size than
the quality of its construction.
"There is a lot of spring in the floor, which would help prevent
injury," says Xu Gang, dance master of National Ballet of China,
which performed on the opening night.
"There are enough comfortable dressing rooms and washrooms for
the performers, making this theater more convenient than all of the
other theaters in Beijing."
Zhu says the theater's staff invited the troupe to test the
floor before construction was finished.
On the heels of the National Ballet of China's show, the
prestigious Beijing People's Art Theater performed its trademark
production Teahouse in the Drama Hall of the National
Grand Theater on October 1, China's National Day. And that day,
actor Liang Guanhua, who performs the leading role of teahouse
owner Wang Lifa, celebrated his 43th birthday.
"The building looks so magnificent. The decoration and design
blend modernism with traditional Chinese features," Liang says. "We
were so excited to perform here that all the cast arrived at about
half past 8 in the morning - nearly two hours earlier than most
rehearsals."
During the weeklong national holiday, the National Ballet of
China performed Swan Lake, the Song and Dance Company of
the Air Force of PLA performed the opera Jiang Jie and the
Beijing Peking Opera Theater performed Mei Lanfang for an
audience that included the constructors of the theater and the
Olympic Games complex, in addition to the residents who had to
relocate to other homes in order to make space for the theater.
(China Daily October 9, 2007)