Weaving magic through dance

Chinese ballet drama based on a literary classic wows audiences as it makes its overseas debut, Yang Wanli reports from Bangkok.

Under the soft glow of stage lights, an ethereal ballerina glides across the polished floor, her fellow dancers' movements a symphony of grace and precision. Each leap and pirouette weaves a tapestry of emotion. The audience, enraptured by this dance of ephemeral beauty, holds its collective breath, savoring the fleeting magic of the performance.

It was the first time the National Ballet of China had presented its original ballet, A Dream of Red Mansions, overseas, and the fusion of a Chinese literary masterpiece with a Western dance performance drew thunderous applause on Sept 20 at the 27th Bangkok International Festival of Dance and Music — one of Asia's most influential events of its kind.

"Bangkok, which has many students of ballet, is the first stop of the show's overseas debut. This drama will present them with a fusion of Eastern and Western arts through our efforts to bring Chinese classical literature to the ballet stage. It also serves as a cultural bridge promoting exchanges between China and Thailand," says Zhu Yan, director of the National Ballet of China.