The Paris Opera Ballet, known as one of the four most renowned ballet companies in the world, is returning to Shanghai, 14 years after it debuted in the city. With 350 years of history, it is one of the oldest running opera ballet companies in the world.

"Swan Lake," hailed as the cornerstone of classical ballet, will light up the stage of the Shanghai Grand Theater this summer. But rather than the traditional version, reinterpreted by Rudolf Nureyev, it will feature a new role — an evil character, who shows the dark side of the prince. Nureyev's version reflects a deeper humanistic experience.

Apart from classical ballet, the troupe will also present a modern title. "Forsythe, Robbins and Pite" consists of selected works choreographed by William Forsythe, Jerome Robbins and Crystal Pite.

The French troupe has a special connection with Shanghai. At the just-finished 2019 Shanghai International Film Festival, a documentary named "La danse - Le ballet de l'Opera de Paris" showed stories about this remarkable troupe's seven ballet performances blending classical and modern styles.

Zhang Xiaoding, the manager of Shanghai Grand Theatre, said that Shanghai is the French artists' only stop in China this time.

A series of related cultural activities, such as lectures, workshops and exhibitions will also give a good chance for interactions between the French dancers and their Chiness audiences.

French dancer and choreographer Lionel Hoche, who studied at the Paris Opera Ballet School, deemed this visit as "another bridge for cultural exchanges between China and France." He said this is not the troupe's first visit to China, and won't be the last.