Shows to honor French ballet choreographer

The National Ballet of China will perform Roland Petit's noted ballet La Chauve-Souris (The Bat) from Oct 3 to 7 with five shows at the Tianqiao Theatre in Beijing.

The shows are dedicated to the 100th anniversary of outstanding French choreographer Roland Petit, as well as marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic ties.

The renowned dancer and choreographer had a long friendship with the National Ballet of China. In 2005, Petit worked with the ballet company for the first time with the performances of Carmen and L'Arlesienne. In 2006, Petit worked with the company again, staging his Pink Floyd Ballet.

In 2014, marking the 90th anniversary of his birth, the National Ballet of China staged La Chauve-Souris, its China premiere.

The ballet performance, premiered by the Ballet National de Marseille in Monte Carlo in 1979, is based on the classic comic operetta Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II.

When the National Ballet of China staged the ballet in 2014, the company invited Luigi Bonino, who worked as the repetiteur and assistant of Petit, to work with Chinese dancers. To prepare for the upcoming shows, Bonino returned and worked with the Chinese ballet company again.

Young ballet dancers of the company will be featured in the upcoming production.